Tribals in Great Nicobar not against development but lack info about mega project: NCST member

New Delhi: Tribal communities in Great Nicobar are not opposed to development but lack sufficient information about a proposed mega infrastructure project on the island, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) member Asha Lakra has said.

The project, titled Holistic Development of Great Nicobar, involves the construction of a transshipment port, an international airport, a township and a power plant over more than 160 sq. km of land. This includes around 130 sq. km of pristine forest inhabited by the Nicobarese, a Scheduled Tribe (ST), and the Shompens, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), whose population is estimated to be between 200 and 300.

In an interview with PTI, Ms. Lakra said she led an NCST team to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from June 5 to 7 to review the issues faced by the tribal communities.

She said the Commission held a detailed meeting with representatives of all tribal groups, including the Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Nicobarese and Shompens.

"We met everyone.... We also had talks with both Shompen and Nicobarese people living on Great Nicobar Island. Most of the people have no idea about the project. They are busy with their own lives.... They demand more ferries to travel between islands," Lakra said.

Asked about her interaction with the residents of Great Nicobar, she said, "They have no other problems. All they need is development.... Better transport, education and health facilities. This is what they told us. Everyone, barring the Sentinelese, said the same thing. They are in favour of development." "They want employment and their financial situation to improve," Ms. Lakra added.

She, however, stressed the need for a stakeholders' meeting with educated people from the island regarding "such a big project" and said all necessary information should be shared with them.

However, Barnabas Manju, chairman of the Little and Great Nicobar Tribal Council, told PTI over the phone that the council was not invited to the meeting and came to know about it through the local media.

The Council had written to the Union Environment Ministry and the Andaman and Nicobar administration in November 2022, withdrawing the no-objection certificate (NOC) it issued in August that year for the denotification of 84.1 sq. km of tribal reserve and the diversion of 130 sq. km of forest for the project. It alleged that crucial information was withheld while seeking the NOC.

The Tribal Council had expressed shock on learning that parts of their pre-tsunami villages would be "denotified and diverted" under the project.

During a public hearing held at Campbell Bay in January 2021, the Council's chairman had said that although they support the development plan, "we want to go back to our ancestral villages".

Tribal Councils in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are statutory bodies established under the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Tribal Councils) Regulation, 2009. They have limited advisory and executive powers, unlike autonomous councils under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which have legislative, executive and limited judicial powers and enjoy greater autonomy.

Around 853 sq. km of the island's total 910-sq. km area is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956.

In tribal reserves, the tribal communities own the land and have full rights to use it for their daily needs. However, transferring, acquiring or selling land in these areas is strictly prohibited.

Asked whether the commission looked into complaints of Forest Rights Act (FRA) violations related to the project, Ms. Lakra said, "The only kind of FRA violations that has been reported involves non-tribal outsiders, who come for construction work, marry ST women and settle on tribal land." This allows non-tribals to gain de-facto control over land protected under the FRA, she added.

In April 2023, the NCST issued a notice to the Andaman and Nicobar administration, seeking "facts and an action-taken report" on allegations that the mega project would violate the constitutional mandate and "adversely impact" the lives of local tribals.

Ms. Lakra said the Commission would check whether a response has been received.

At a media interaction earlier this month, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said his Ministry is examining objections raised by tribal communities regarding the proposed project.

"Yes, it is under examination. I had also answered a question [in this regard] in Parliament. We are currently examining the documents they have submitted. After that, we will decide the course of action," he had said, replying to a question.

On further questioning about what the Ministry seeks to ascertain, Mr. Oram had said, "First, we need to determine whether the gram sabha (tribal council in this case) was held, what the gram sabha recommended and whether there have been any violations." (The Hindu)