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Senior Congress person Jairam Ramesh connected Wednesday (June 3, 2026) wrote to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, saying the Great Nicobar Island Project arsenic presently conceived is "overwhelmingly a commercialized enterprise" and the unsocial biodiversity of the country is being endangered.
In his effect to Mr. Yadav's missive of May 27 which was a reply to his earlier letter, Mr. Ramesh said his missive connected May 10 was a elemental plea to comply, successful missive and spirit, with the instrumentality successful assessing the ecological impacts of the Project successful a broad manner, fixed that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study of March 2022 itself had stated that it is lone a accelerated reconnaissance study.
"I americium truthful gladsome you person admitted that the biology clearance was not based connected broad EIA studies based connected 3 seasons superior information and superior information was collected implicit lone a 'single seasonal cycle'," the erstwhile Environment Minister said.
"But I privation to, however, constituent retired that the studies mentioned by you successful the reply are not adjacent based connected superior information collected implicit 'single seasonal cycle' arsenic claimed. The reports themselves admit that baseline data/surveys for these reports were collected lone implicit a fewer weeks. I had extracted portions of these reports for your convenience," Mr. Ramesh pointed retired successful his missive to Mr. Yadav.
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"A important information of your reply has been dedicated to the assertion that institutions nether the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change person humanities information sets which person been utilized successful the interaction appraisal reports prepared by them," the Congress wide caput in-charge communications said.
The Congress person said Mr. Yadav would beryllium alert of the quality betwixt superior information collected astatine the task tract and its interaction areas and secondary information collected from pre-existing studies. “Secondary information is conscionable not a substitute for superior information postulation and project-specific studies,” Mr. Ramesh pointed out.
"Your missive repeatedly mentions judgments of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) dated April 3, 2023 and February 16, 2026 successful effect to the issues I person brought to your attention. I person work these judgments cautiously again and privation to pass you that: In the judgement dated April 3, 2023, para 33 expressly records that determination are 'unanswered deficiencies' successful the biology clearance issued to the task and proceeds to database three, including the request for a broad EIA and remanded the clearance for re-examination," Mr. Ramesh said.
“In the judgement dated February 16, 2026, para 46 records the submissions of the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change connected the erosion presumption of Galathea Bay,” the Congress person said.
“The study of ISRO's Space Applications Centre has intelligibly marked stretches of the eastbound flank of Galathea Bay successful red, indicating erosion,” Mr. Ramesh pointed out.
"You volition callback that nether the Island Coastal Zone Regulation, 2019, ports are prohibited successful 'high' erosion stretches and broad EIA survey is indispensable successful debased and medium' erosion stretches. Given the information that ISRO'S study has marked erosion on Galathea Bay's shoreline, is it not prudent to behaviour broad EIA studies implicit 3 seasons to relationship for seasonal variations?" Mr. Ramesh said.
“The judgement dated February 16, 2026 does not incorporate immoderate uncovering connected the adequacy of the information postulation and EIA studies arsenic claimed successful Mr. Yadav's reply,” the Congress person said.
"It is genuinely bonzer and adjacent unprecedented that those who person prepared the EIA study and different studies and those who person had them prepared person ended up reviewing their ain enactment and recovered it to beryllium fine. This is simply a perversion of owed process," Mr. Ramesh alleged.
"The judgement of the NGT dated February 16, 2026 arsenic besides your reply has wholly ignored para 5 (D) of the Office Memorandum of the Ministry of Environment and Forests dated November 3, 2009 that mandates 'comprehensive situation interaction assessment, including carnal and mathematical modelling and crushed verification for each larboard projects successful Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands'," Mr. Ramesh said.
The February 16 judgement arsenic besides your reply ignores annexure 6 of the EIA guidance manual for ports and harbours that had been issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and that states 'physical, chemic and biologic information has to beryllium collected successful 2 to 3 seasons truthful arsenic to recognize their interaction successful antithetic seasons similar pre- and post-monsoon", Mr. Ramesh said.
Pointing retired that Mr. Yadav wrote that conditions person been imposed to safeguard biodiversity, helium said these conditions are really irrelevant successful determining whether capable studies and assessments person been conducted anterior to clearance. “Clearly, that has not been done,” helium added.
"I person requested you to marque nationalist the study of the High-Powered Committee that was inexplicably handed implicit successful a 'sealed cover' to the NGT successful October 2025 Records starring to the clearance for the task are successful the nationalist domain," Mr. Ramesh said. “Both the maestro program for the township, and the elaborate task study for the airdrome are besides successful the nationalist domain,” helium said. Mr. Ramesh said helium simply fails to recognize wherefore and however the re-examination of the clearance process becomes confidential.
"I find the communicative connected the Great Nicobar Island Project has abruptly shifted. Faced with incontrovertible grounds of its hugely adverse ecological impacts, the Union Government is present emphasising its expected strategical rationale. I person written to Raksha Mantri separately suggesting, arsenic so immoderate distinguished defence experts themselves have, that India's strategical objectives volition beryllium amended met by the enlargement of INS Baaz located successful Campbell Bell connected Great Nicobar arsenic good of different assets of the Andaman and Nicobar Command crossed that archipelago," Mr. Ramesh said.
“The Project arsenic presently conceived is overwhelmingly a commercialized enterprise,” helium argued. Mr. Ramesh and Mr. Yadav person exchanged respective letters implicit the contented with the erstwhile slamming the authorities implicit the task and claiming it would origin large ecological damage.
