The final social impact assessment report for the Trunk Infrastructure Road Project in Great Nicobar Island (GNI) has concluded that the proposed acquisition of 87.7902 hectares of private land for the construction of the Trunk Infrastructure Road is beneficial to all stakeholders.
“When the proposed Trunk Infrastructure Road (main road & subsidiary roads) becomes operational, all the direct and indirect costs likely to be incurred by any of the stakeholders, if any, will be negligible in comparison to the benefits accrued due to it,” said the report, a copy of which has been reviewed by HT. It was prepared by the Ranchi-based Atlas Management Consultancy Services (AMCS) Private Limited.
“With extremely limited employment opportunities clashing with the high aspirations of the new generation, out migration … was rampant. There was an urgent need to re-define the economic fabric of GNI with future of the local people in the horizon. …Being mindful of addressing the sensitivities of traditions, tribal lives along with the aspirations and potential of the area, these people of t GNI cannot be denied inclusive growth and development opportunities,” it added.
The final report said that in compliance with Section 5 of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, two public hearing meetings were conducted as per procedure. Prior information regarding the public hearing meeting was given to all land owners, 21 days in advance through various mediums. Members of the Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar also attended the meeting but their views have not been recorded in the report according to co-attendees. The concerns raised by the Tribal Council was mainly on how the trunk infrastructure project will impact tribal areas.
HT could not reach out to AMCS on Friday despite several attempts. HT has also sent queries to the firm, but did not receive a response till the time of going to print.
Land owners have raised concerns with regards to compensation for the project. “The prevailing rate of compensation for trees was inadequate.” Ajaib Singh, who owns land in Laxmi Nagar, said “We request that we may be given land in lieu of land proposed to be acquired for the project. The trees that we have grown need lot of time (around seven years) to start bearing fruits. It involves lot of time, money and manpower to take care of these trees to come to the fruit bearing stage. We did not have land in the Indian mainland and we came here all the way from Punjab only for land which was given to the settlers by the government. Now the Government wants to take our land here.”
HT reported on June 20 that the Trunk Infrastructure Road that will cut through Great Nicobar Island (GNI) and connect all villages on it, will lead to large scale employment, facilitate business and also make “unconnected areas on the route prosper,” according to the draft social impact assessment (SIA) study for the project . The draft, published on A&N administration’s Directorate of Social Welfare website added that a large number of trees will need to be felled for the road and that tribal populations of Shompen and Nicobarese have agreed to land diversion for the road.
HT reported on August 7 that an area of 130 ha falling within tribal reserves will be diverted for Great Nicobar Trunk Infrastructure Road project, citing a reply by the union environment ministry in the Rajya Sabha.
After the draft report was released in June, the Tribal Council responded to it through a letter on August 11, mentioning that “we wish to clarify that the consultant in the SIA report has falsely claimed that extensive deliberations were conducted with Shompen and Nicobarese. Even the members of Tribal Council were unaware that such an assessment was taking place.”
Most importantly, the Tribal Council said: “If extensive deliberations had taken place, it would involve the citizens of Pulo Baha, Pulo Bhaabi and other villages on the west coast who are currently living in Rajiv Nagar Colony and not only those Nicobarese and a few Shompen who live in New Chingenh. However as mentioned by the residents of New Chingenh we do welcome development of basic infrastructure in the island. Existing road to New Chingenh is in urgent need of repair just like many other parts…(but) agreement to these basic necessities should not be considered as agreement to a largescale project which involves destruction of forests and tribal areas.”
The final report however states that “these people from the tribal community had their opinion on the way they wanted to lead their lives. The Nicobarese were more affable in comparison to the Shompens. However, like their other non-tribal counterparts, people from these tribal communities stated that they were not averse to any development work in the island, including the proposed Trunk Infrastructure Road (main road & subsidiary roads) Project. As such, they preferred to settle along the coast line and for that they also used the present road network in the island. As none of the proposed roads were infringing on their way of life, they expressed support for the Trunk Project.”
The Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project has four major components: an international container transshipment terminal (ICCT); an international airport; a power plant; and a township. The total cost is estimated at ₹81,800 crore. The Nicobar Islands fall in the Sundaland Biodiversity hotspot and cover the western half of the Indonesian archipelago.
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, in August 2024, said that “exemplary mitigation measures” have been incorporated to minimise the environmental impact of the project, “keeping the strategic, national and defence interests” in mind.
Experts said the report ignores the impact of the project on indigenous communities. “It also glosses over the legitimate concerns raised by the settlers whose lands are to be acquired. They complain about lack of transparency, express dissatisfaction over the circle rates and many do not even know the extent of their land to be acquired. And as the report mentions, the road alignment has not been finalised yet. What was the rush to conduct the assessment?,” said a researcher, who has worked in the islands, asking not to be named.