The Great Nicobar mega-infrastructure project, costing ₹72,000 crore, has sparked widespread concern in 2025. This project endangers indigenous tribes, unique ecosystems, and is vulnerable to natural disasters. Despite legal safeguards, the government is pushing the project forward, sidelining tribal rights and environmental norms.
Impact on Indigenous Tribes
Great Nicobar Island is home to the Nicobarese and Shompen tribes. The Nicobarese were displaced by the 2004 tsunami and now face permanent eviction from ancestral lands due to the project. The Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, risk losing access to their forest habitats. The project denotifies parts of the Shompen reserve, threatening their survival. Tribal bodies like the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and local Tribal Councils were not properly consulted, violating constitutional mandates.
Legal and Procedural Violations
The project ignored the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) requirements under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act, 2013. Both tribes were excluded as stakeholders. The Forest Rights Act, which empowers tribes to manage forests, was disregarded. The Tribal Council’s withdrawal of consent marks coercion in the approval process. These actions undermine tribal rights and national laws.
Environmental and Biodiversity Risks
The project threatens to clear 15% of the island’s rainforest, home to rare flora and fauna. Official estimates suggest 850,000 trees will be cut, but independent figures range from 3.2 to 5.8 million trees. Compensatory afforestation is planned far away in Haryana, an ecologically different region, and part of that land has been auctioned for mining. This is an inadequate and misleading remedy for forest loss.
Threats to Wildlife and Ecosystems
The port construction site overlaps with Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 1A, which protects turtle nesting and coral reefs. Despite a National Green Tribunal order banning such construction, the government reclassified the zone through a secretive committee. Wildlife experts warn the project endangers species like the Nicobar long-tailed macaque. Biodiversity assessments were flawed, conducted off-season or with limited technology, raising doubts about their validity.
Geological and Disaster Vulnerability
Great Nicobar lies in an earthquake-prone zone. The 2004 tsunami caused permanent land subsidence. A recent 6.2 magnitude earthquake in 2025 puts stress on ongoing seismic risks. Building massive infrastructure here threatens lives, investment, and fragile ecosystems. Ignoring these risks is reckless and shortsighted.
Questions for UPSC:
- Critically discuss the role of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 in protecting indigenous communities in India. Taking the Great Nicobar project as an example, examine the challenges faced in its implementation.
- Analyse the impact of large infrastructure projects on biodiversity and tribal rights in ecologically sensitive areas. Discuss in the light of the Great Nicobar mega-infrastructure project.
- What are the legal frameworks governing environmental protection and tribal welfare in India? How effective are these laws in balancing development and conservation? Illustrate with recent examples.
- Discuss the significance of disaster risk assessment in infrastructure planning. Taking the Great Nicobar Island and its seismic vulnerability as a case study, examine the implications for sustainable development.
