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A draught program outlining the “relocation” of Nicobarese tribal communities affected by the Union government’s Great Nicobar Island (GNI) mega-infrastructure task “to their ancestral lands” has created disorder and is exacerbating existing apprehensions among locals. They person been, for 4 years, protesting the clearance for the ₹92,000-crore task aft withdrawing their consent successful 2022, alleging that their wood rights had not been settled.
This draught “Comprehensive Tribal Welfare Plan”, prepared by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands medication and circulated connected March 13, 2026 for consultation with enactment departments and the Tribal Council of Great Nicobar, proposes a ₹42.52-crore outlay implicit 24 months for the “relocation of Nicobarese tribal communities from tsunami-affected oregon project-impacted areas”, which involves housing, onshore improvement and basal infrastructure.
Also read: Why has NGT cleared the Nicobar project? | Explained
However, details of wherever the projected relocation volition instrumentality spot and who volition be relocated have near members of the Tribal Council of Great and Little Nicobar confused, according to Nicobarese assemblage leaders who spoke to The Hindu. They said they were handed a transcript of the draught program connected March 28, 2026 and person since been called for 2 meetings by the territory medication Campbell Bay to sign off connected it.
This comes arsenic the Union authorities told a Calcutta High Court Bench connected March 30, 2026 that it needed 15 days to “demonstrate that consent has been taken from the tribal people” for its project. This Bench is proceeding a batch of petitions challenging the project’s clearance connected the grounds that it violated consent procedures and wood rights of the Nicobarese and Shompen communities.
At a gathering connected April 1, 2026, the Tribal Council submitted a missive pointing retired that immoderate aspects of the draft were unclear and requested a Hindi translation truthful each members could recognize and sermon it. They said they would request astatine slightest a period to reappraisal the translated papers earlier further discussions.
Notably, portion the draft plan states the GNI task “involves relocation”, the Centre has repeatedly said the task would not “disturb oregon displace tribes”.
Unclear relocation plans
According to a missive attached to the draft, the program was prepared aft Tribal Council leaders demanded a instrumentality to ancestral villages connected the westbound seashore of GNI that were destroyed successful the 2004 tsunami, aft which communities were shifed to encampments successful Rajiv Nagar and New Chingenh adjacent Campbell Bay.
However, the draught plan states, “The task involves relocation to Rajiv Nagar (32 households, 101 persons) and New Chingenh (30 households, 117 persons).”
In a section, the program proposes Pulobhabi for “community purposes” of residents successful Rajiv Nagar, with “shared assets” to “facilitate periodic visits to ancestral lands”, portion adding, “an enactment shall stay open” for families to instrumentality to ancestral villages extracurricular the task area.
For New Chingenh residents, the program records their tendency to instrumentality to Old Chingenh and Pulo Baha, but notes a last determination volition beryllium taken aft assessing onshore availability and consultations, portion their existing accommodations volition beryllium upgraded.
Further, the program lists each enumerated families successful Rajiv Nagar and New Chingenh (62 families successful total) and then states: “Proposed relocation site: Pulobhabi, occidental seashore of GNI”.
The tables successful the draught adhd to the ambiguity: allocations are made for upgrading 62 homes and gathering lone 30 caller homes, portion different conception states imperishable shelters “will beryllium built for each 62 households” — neither portion explicitly mentions wherever these homes would travel up. District authorities have not yet responded to The Hindu’s queries connected what precisely the program proposes.
“It’s not just Pulobhabi”
A person of the Tribal Council said Pulobhabi is conscionable 1 among respective ancestral colony sites, and the connection lists lone astir 13 pre-tsunami Nicobarese villages erstwhile determination are galore more.
In New Delhi on March 20, Great and Little Nicobar Tribal Council main Barnabas Manju had said the community has agelong demanded a instrumentality to each ancestral villages on the westbound coast since displacement successful 2004.
Soon aft the task was granted Stage-I clearance successful 2022, the community withdrew their consent, fearing parts of it would encroach connected their wood lands, including ancestral villages, preventing their return. Council leaders accidental the apprehension has lone been exacerbated as the medication has not intelligibly explained task boundaries— a grievance the assembly mentioned successful the April 1 letter, which noted the representation successful the draught is “not clear”.
Forest Rights
The Nicobarese communities person alleged that the medication “falsely” certified that their rights nether the 2006 Forest Rights Act had been identified and settled, adjacent though the process had ne'er been initiated. This was besides reiterated successful the Council’s April 1 letter.
While the draught specifies that its provisions have been drawn up nether the 2013 Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency successful Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act and the 1956 Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act, it does not notation thing astir rights nether the Forest Rights Act of 2006.
