25th June 2024 (9 Topics)
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Nicobar triangle
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Context
The Union Tribal Affairs Ministry is reviewing forest clearance paperwork for the ?72,000-crore infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island, highlighting challenges in balancing infrastructure development, biodiversity conservation, and indigenous rights.
Environmental Concerns and Project Scope:
- Scope of the Great Nicobar Project: It includes a trans-shipment port, international airport, township development, and a 450 MVA power plant over 130 sq. km. of pristine forest.
- Environmental Clearance and Controversy: The project received stage-1 environmental clearance despite concerns over its impact on Galathea Bay's biodiversity, including rare species like the leatherback turtle.
- Compensatory Measures: Plans for ‘compensatory afforestation’ in Haryana have sparked criticism due to the ecological disparity with the Nicobar rainforest ecosystem.
Strategic and Economic Justifications:
- Strategic Importance: Positioned 90 km from the Malacca Strait, the project aims to leverage Great Nicobar's strategic location for enhancing maritime trade routes.
- Tourism as a Motive: Critics argue that tourism may be a driving force behind the project alongside strategic interests, contradicting official statements on infrastructure development.
- Secrecy and Transparency Concerns: Environmental clearance details and appraisal processes have been kept confidential, raising transparency issues amidst environmental and tribal rights scrutiny.
Ethical and Legal Challenges:
- Indigenous Rights and Consent: Concerns raised by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes regarding the consent of local tribes, particularly the Shompen, remain unresolved.
- Government Accountability: The National Green Tribunal's scrutiny and demands for transparency underscore governance challenges in executing large-scale projects.
- Call for Course Correction: With a fresh mandate, there is a growing demand for the government to prioritize transparency, environmental sustainability, and respect for indigenous rights in the project.
Mains Question:
Q. Discuss the ethical and governance challenges associated with the infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island. How can the government balance economic development with environmental conservation and indigenous rights in such contentious projects?
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