The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has raised concerns over the alleged discrepancies with forest clearance granted for the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) Project. The commission has issued a notice to the district authorities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the grounds that the project will significantly affect the rights of local tribespeople and that the NCST was not consulted, citing alleged violations under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006.
The project, implemented by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO), includes a transshipment port, airport, power plant, and greenfield township, for which more than 800,000 trees are set to be felled. The NCST’s intervention in the project comes even as the Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda is currently on a tour of the islands discussing ways to better implement the tribal welfare schemes and oversee the PM-PVTG Mission.