Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh has strongly criticized the ongoing mega infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island, calling it a “maha ecological disaster” and accusing the government of violating tribal rights.

In a post on social media platform X, Ramesh said that despite raising concerns directly with the Union Environment Minister, the project is being pushed forward without adequate consideration of its consequences.

“The Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project is without doubt a maha ecological disaster. I have had exchanges with the Union Minister of Environment and Forests on this subject but the march of folly continues,” he wrote.

Ramesh also pointed to fresh evidence suggesting that the local administration misrepresented its compliance with the Forest Rights Act, 2006. According to him, officials falsely claimed that:

1. The rights of the local tribal communities under the Forest Rights Act have been identified and settled.

2. The consent of the affected tribal communities has been lawfully obtained.

“It has been abundantly clear for some time that the project is simply being bulldozed through,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had defended the project in a press release issued in November 2024. The ministry stated that the decision to go ahead with the project was made after considering its environmental impact and its strategic and national importance.

According to the ministry, the project underwent a thorough review process under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, which includes screening, public consultation, and appraisal. Reputed institutions like the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), among others conducted multiple studies.

The project was appraised by an independent Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which imposed 42 specific conditions aimed at protecting the region’s biodiversity. The government also formed three separate monitoring committees to oversee the implementation of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP), along with a High-Power Committee (HPC) set up following an order by the National Green Tribunal in April 2023.