Nicobar report not public due to strategic info: Centre

The Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project report has not been made public as it takes into account facts related to the national security of the country

The report of the National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed high-powered committee (HPC) on the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project has not been made public as it takes into account issues and facts related to the strategic, defence and national security of the country, the Union environment ministry has informed the Rajya Sabha.

The green tribunal constituted the high-powered committee headed by the secretary, MoEFCC, in April last year to revisit the environmental clearance granted by the ministry to the Great Nicobar township and area development and other infrastructure projects involving an area of 16,610 hectares in the ecologically fragile islands (Shutterstock)

“The decision on the proposal involving development of Great Nicobar Island project has been taken after due consideration of potential environmental impacts on all the environmental components of the project including the tribal population residing on the island and also taking into account the significant strategic, defence and national importance of the developmental projects,” Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state for environment, told the Upper House in a written reply on Thursday.

Singh was responding to a set of questions by Congress lawmaker Pramod Tiwari, who asked whether the Great Nicobar Project has allegedly courted controversy because of its potential impact on rare and endemic species, rainforests and the tribal population residing on the island. He also sought to know whether report of HPC has been made public.

“A detailed scrutiny of the EIA/EMP (Environmental Management Plan) report took place during the appraisal of the project by an independent Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) having experts from the field of science and engineering,” the minister said. “The Environmental Clearance accorded contains as many as 42 specific conditions dealing with each component of the project for the safeguard of marine and terrestrial biodiversity.”

The minister also acknowledged that the HPC report has not been made public, underscoring it “takes into account issues and facts related to the strategic, defence and national security of the country.”

The green tribunal constituted the high-powered committee headed by the secretary, MoEFCC, in April last year to revisit the environmental clearance granted by the ministry to the Great Nicobar township and area development and other infrastructure projects involving an area of 16,610 hectares in the ecologically fragile islands.

Providing details about the project, the MoS in his reply further said that in order to oversee the EMP implementation, the environmental clearance letter also prescribes for three independent monitoring committees — to oversee “pollution related matters”; to oversee “biodiversity related matters”; and to oversee “welfare and issues related to Shompen and Nicobarese”.

When NGT constituted the high-powered committee, it was hearing an application by Mumbai-based Conservation Action Trust and ecologist Ashish Kothari who appealed against the environment and forest clearance granted to the project despite the severe impact it would have on rainforests and the unique biodiversity of the region.

“There are some unanswered deficiencies pointed out by the appellants which need to be addressed. By way of instance, it is pointed out that out of 20,668 coral colonies, 16,150 are proposed to be translocated without any mention of threat to remaining 4,518 coral colonies. It is pointed out that Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) Regulations prohibit destruction of corals. Further, data collected for impact assessment is only of one season as against requirement of three seasons. It is also shown that part of the project is in CRZ IA area where Port is prohibited. These aspects may call for revisiting the EC (environmental clearance )by a high-powered committee (HPC) which we propose to constitute. The same will be headed by secretary, MoEFCC, GoI,” the NGT bench had observed.

“As the regulator and custodian of forests and biodiversity of the nation, it is incumbent upon the government to ensure that all such environmental information are accessible to the public barring the sensitive information related to defence and national security,” said Debadityo Sinha, lead, climate & ecosystems, at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.