2 days ago
1
Responding to erstwhile Environment Minister and Congress person Jairam Ramesh implicit allegations that the Centre’s Great Nicobar Island task violates tribal communities’ wood rights, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said, “Development and tribal extortion are not mutually exclusive and tin coexist done robust measures.”
In his effect connected Thursday (May 21, 2026), Mr. Oram stressed that arsenic a determination power, “India cannot spend to permission strategically decisive geographies underdeveloped”. Mr. Oram said the Forest Rights Act operates in summation to existing laws specified arsenic the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulations of 1956 (PAT56), which sufficiently “protects habitats, restricts outer extrusion, and preserves aboriginal ways of life”.
He besides defended the determination to get the consent of the Shompen assemblage done the administration-run Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS), saying the assemblage is specifically mandated to counsel the medication connected the extortion and payment of “aboriginal tribes” and that specified a mechanics is “relevant for welfare, extortion and informed administrative decision-making concerning susceptible tribal groups”.
Mr. Oram besides added that, arsenic per the accusation provided by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration, “no tribal habitation is projected to beryllium displaced arsenic portion of the project”. In March, the administration, however, had published a draught program for the “relocation” of tribal families affected by the Centre’s ₹92,000-crore Great Nicobar Island improvement project, creating disorder among the land communities.
Mr. Oram was responding to a elaborate missive from Mr. Ramesh, successful which the Opposition person had called for the withdrawal of each clearances granted nether the 2006 Forest Rights Act, arguing that consent procedures nether the instrumentality had been violated.
Mr. Ramesh’s May 13 missive noted that the Gram Sabhas that were expected to person consented to the diversion of wood onshore nether the FRA consisted of settler families and not members of the Nicobarese and Shompen people, who are the ones with an existent assertion implicit the wood onshore successful GNI nether the FRA. He further asserted that the AAJVS, being an entity controlled by the administration, could not person consented connected behalf of the Shompen assemblage arsenic per the law.
Pending litigation
On the circumstantial alleged violations of the FRA that Mr. Ramesh raised successful his missive and the implementation of the instrumentality successful GNI, the Union Minister noted that this contented is being litigated successful the Calcutta High Court, adding, “I would not similar to prejudice the Hon’ble Court with details astatine this stage.”
Mr. Oram maintained that India cannot spend to permission strategically decisive geographies underdeveloped and argued that the extortion of tribal rights and improvement tin coexist done “continuous oversight mechanisms specified arsenic outer monitoring, onshore mapping, and strict regulatory enforcement”.
“Measures including controlled technological contact, buffer zones, restricted mobility corridors, and prohibition of tourism entree to regular tribal habitats tin besides assistance sphere tribal autonomy until immoderate voluntary and earthy integration with the mainstream becomes feasible. Such mechanisms volition fortify accountability portion enabling timely monitoring and people correction,” helium said.
He emphasised the value of the project’s determination successful providing India with a “critical vantage constituent implicit maritime security”, strengthening the country’s Indo-Pacific beingness and strategical role, and enhancing determination commercialized and diplomatic integration.
Mr. Oram said that the Centre’s task “represents an important displacement successful India’s attack towards frontier infrastructure improvement by strengthening connectivity, logistics, and nationalist beingness successful distant but strategically captious regions”, and frankincense it is important to “position Great Nicobar Island arsenic a exemplary of strategical frontier governance, wherever nationalist information priorities are pursued alongside ecological sustainability, ineligible compliance, and robust extortion of the Shompen and different tribal communities”.
