7 months ago
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Defending the Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure task astatine the National Green Tribunal connected Thursday (October 30, 2025), the Union authorities argued that it is afloat alert of the project’s apt interaction connected the biodiversity of the surrounding areas, positing that the main contented is whether the authorities is “alive to this oregon not”.
Noting that the authorities considers it its work to undertake mitigation measures, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said that the Centre has mandated conservation and monitoring programmes to tally for the adjacent 3 decades arsenic the task is developed. “We person brought successful the champion technological resources disposable to antheral this, to instrumentality this forward, to transportation retired probe and suggest mitigation, and usher america done the 30 years of this project,” she said, stressing that the task “is going to beryllium a nationalist asset”.
The submissions came successful effect to a batch of petitions that person challenged the biology clearance issued for the ₹92,000 crore project, which volition see a transshipment port, an planetary airport, a township, and a powerfulness works to beryllium built connected much than 160 sq. km. of land. Of this, astir 130 sq. km. is wood onshore inhabited by the Nicobarese and the Shompen communities, some Scheduled Tribes, with the Shompen categorised arsenic a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
One petition, submitted by activistic Ashish Kothari, challenges the clearances obtained for the project, citing violations of the Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) notification, 2019 notification and inadequacies successful the biology interaction assessment. In abstracted submissions, Mr. Kothari has besides challenged the confidentiality of the High Powered Committee’s report, which was prepared arsenic per the directions of the NGT Bench proceeding the substance earlier.
Biodiversity impact
Making its arguments earlier the NGT Bench present proceeding the matter, the Union authorities submitted that it had considered studies and probe conducted implicit decades earlier mandating measures to translocate, conserve, and show the task activities’ interaction connected the biodiversity of the region.
Ms. Bhati quoted immoderate of these studies, noting that portion plans had been outlined for translocating implicit 16,000 of the 20,668 coral colonies that are nether menace from the project’s activities, determination is besides a program successful spot to guarantee the monitoring of the remaining 4,500-odd coral colonies, truthful that decisions astir their translocation tin beryllium taken erstwhile indispensable based connected observations. In addition, she submitted that determination were astir 51 progressive nests of the Nicobar megapode successful the task activities’ area; though astir 30 volition beryllium permanently destroyed, determination were besides plans successful spot to conserve the remaining nests.
“The authorities is alert of Galathea Bay’s location, which is astatine the extremity of the Islands. It is not that the authorities is destroying biodiversity there. There is biodiversity each astir the Islands, and the decision was that this portion is the astir suitable. All different nesting beaches of the leatherback turtles volition beryllium protected and conserved; resources person been earmarked for this,” Ms. Bhati argued.
She further submitted that akin plans person been devised for the conservation of respective taxon of flora and fauna, including the saltwater crocodile, the Nicobar macau, and the mangrove forests. The authorities besides submitted that the translocation of coral colonies was a tested exercise, with implicit 90% endurance rates. It added that nary tribal persons volition beryllium displaced oregon dispersed, noting that the task volition lone screen 1.82% of the full island’s archipelago area, which amounts to astir 18% of the Great Nicobar area, inactive leaving GNI with implicit two-third of its onshore wide arsenic forests.
Conservation plans till 2052
The Centre besides defended the situation clearance granted for the project, which has mandated elaborate measures to study, research, and show the biodiversity of the portion arsenic the task is developed, calling it “an live document” that prescribes conservation measures till 2052.
The authorities submissions besides highlighted that 3 caller wildlife sanctuaries person been sanctioned to conserve endemic species, and 2 all-weather probe stations are besides being mandated connected the Islands to show biodiversity and suggest interventions.
The Centre noted that the high-powered committee’s study connected the presumption of notation indicated by the NGT had been kept confidential due to the fact that parts of the task are defence-related. It insisted that the committee had re-examined each issues with respect to the situation made to the biology clearance and not conscionable the 3 points raised by the NGT. In summation to the 3 monitoring committees mandated for pollution, biodiversity, and tribal welfare, the sheet has besides mandated the instauration of an overarching committee to coordinate the monitoring enactment of these 3 committees.
One adept subordinate connected the NGT Bench noted that determination needs to beryllium much independency for the monitoring committee for tribal welfare, arsenic it presently includes lone members of the Andaman and Nicobar administration. The Union Tribal Affairs Secretary oregon his typical should besides beryllium included successful this monitoring committee, the subordinate said.
The adjacent proceeding successful the substance has been acceptable for November 7.
