Great Nicobar project: Ramesh flags non-transparency in latest letter to Environment Minister

Concerns have been raised about the adequacy of public disclosure in the environmental oversight process for the Great Nicobar Island Development Project (GN...

What Happened

Concerns have been raised about the adequacy of public disclosure in the environmental oversight process for the Great Nicobar Island Development Project (GNIDP) — specifically, that compliance reports and Conservation and Mitigation Plans (CMPs) submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) have not been placed in the public domain.
The project received environmental clearance (EC) from MoEFCC's Expert Appraisal Committee in November 2022 under the EIA Notification, 2006, subject to 42 specific conditions.
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) had earlier facilitated the project in January 2021 by denotifying the Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Critics argue that compliance monitoring documents and conservation plans — mandatory post-clearance obligations — should be accessible to the public and scientific community for independent scrutiny.
The debate has intensified because Great Nicobar Island is among India's most ecologically sensitive territories: it hosts the critically small Shompen tribal population, nesting grounds of the giant leatherback sea turtle, and dense tropical rainforest.

Static Topic Bridges

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) — Process, Law, and Transparency Requirements

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 (issued under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986) is the primary statutory instrument governing project-level environmental screening and clearance in India. It establishes a four-stage process: (1) Screening — categorisation as A (central appraisal, no size threshold exemption) or B (state-level appraisal, subject to screening); (2) Scoping — determining Terms of Reference (ToR) for the EIA study; (3) Public Consultation — public hearing mandatory for Category A and most B projects (exceptions in Schedule to the notification); (4) Appraisal — review of the EIA report by Expert Appraisal Committees (EAC) under MoEFCC.

Category A projects (including large ports, airports on islands, special townships) are appraised by the central EAC and cleared by MoEFCC.
The Great Nicobar project — comprising an international container transshipment terminal, a dual-use civil-military airport, a township, and a power plant — is Category A.
EC granted November 2022, with 42 specific conditions covering air quality, marine ecology, forest diversion, compensatory afforestation, waste management, and disaster risk.
Post-clearance compliance monitoring: project proponents are required to submit Six-Monthly Compliance Reports (SMCRs) to the Regional Office of MoEFCC and the MoEFCC headquarters. These are to be placed on the MoEFCC website — a transparency obligation that is the subject of the current concern.
ICRZ (Island Coastal Regulation Zone) Notification, 2019 also applies given the island location; separate CRZ clearance is required from MoEFCC.

Connection to this news: The transparency concern is specifically about post-clearance compliance: whether the SMCRs and Conservation and Mitigation Plans being submitted to MoEFCC are being disclosed publicly as mandated. Non-disclosure weakens independent environmental oversight and undermines the accountability framework the EIA Notification intends.

National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and Wildlife Sanctuary Denotification

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) is a statutory body constituted under Section 5A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Chaired by the Prime Minister, it functions as the apex advisory body for wildlife conservation policy and reviews proposals for diversion of land within Protected Areas (PAs) — National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves, and Community Reserves. The Standing Committee of NBWL (SC-NBWL), chaired by the Minister of Environment, considers project-specific clearance proposals.

Denotification of a Wildlife Sanctuary requires the process under Section 26A(3) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — state government must move the central government, and NBWL must be consulted.
Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (a nesting ground for giant leatherback sea turtles) was denotified in January 2021 by the SC-NBWL to facilitate the transshipment port component of GNIDP.
This denotification is legally and ecologically controversial: once denotified, statutory wildlife protections cease to apply to the denotified area.
NBWL's Standing Committee also cleared the project's broader footprint, subject to conditions including wildlife conservation plans.

Connection to this news: The Conservation and Mitigation Plans (CMPs) referenced in the transparency concern are the conditions imposed by NBWL/SC-NBWL and the EAC as compensatory safeguards for the denotification and forest diversion. Non-public disclosure of how these plans are being implemented is the core governance gap identified.

Great Nicobar Island — Geography, Ecology, and Strategic Significance

Great Nicobar Island is the largest and southernmost island in the Nicobar group (part of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and marks India's southern extremity — Indira Point at its southern tip (6°45'N, 93°49'E) is India's southernmost point. The island covers approximately 921 sq km and lies at the junction of the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea, and the Indian Ocean, strategically close to the Malacca Strait — one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Ecology: Dense tropical rainforest; home to leatherback sea turtle nesting beaches (Galathea Bay), Nicobar megapode, coconut crab, and diverse endemic flora and fauna.
Indigenous population: The Shompen — a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) — with an estimated population of 200–400, are the only inhabitants of the island's interior. The Nicobarese (another tribal community) inhabit coastal settlements. Both are notified Scheduled Tribes.
Protected Areas: The island includes the Campbell Bay National Park and Galathea National Park (before its partial modification), making it one of the most protected landscapes in India.
Strategic value: Proximity to the Malacca Strait (through which ~30% of global trade passes) gives the dual-use airport and deep-sea port enormous naval and logistical significance.
Project scale: Total project cost approximately US$ 10 billion; involves 130 sq km of land; forest diversion of approximately 13,000 hectares (of which 84% is tropical rainforest).

Connection to this news: The ecological sensitivity of the site — PVTGs, endemic wildlife, rainforest ecosystem — is precisely why post-clearance transparency obligations carry special weight. Independent verification of whether conservation commitments are being honoured is critical when the ecological baseline is this irreplaceable.

Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the MoEFCC Framework

The Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986 is the umbrella legislation enacted under Article 253 of the Constitution (giving Parliament power to legislate to give effect to international treaties) following the 1972 Stockholm Conference on Human Environment. It empowers the Central Government to take measures to protect and improve environmental quality, prevent and control environmental pollution, and regulate industrial activities.

EPA 1986: Sections 3 and 5 give the Central Government power to issue directions, set standards, and issue the EIA Notification.
EIA Notification 2006 is issued under Section 3(1) and 3(2)(v) of EPA 1986.
MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) administers EPA 1986, Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, and the Biological Diversity Act 2002 — the four primary environmental statutes.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act, 2010 created the NGT as a specialised judicial body to hear appeals against environmental clearances and violations of environmental laws. NGT can take up suo motu cognizance of environmental compliance failures.

Connection to this news: Concerned citizens and scientific bodies can file applications before the NGT challenging EIA compliance failures or seeking disclosure of compliance reports — a statutory remedy available when voluntary disclosure obligations are not met.

Key Facts & Data

Great Nicobar Island area: ~921 sq km; southernmost large island of India.
Indira Point: India's southernmost tip, on Great Nicobar Island (6°45'N, 93°49'E).
Project components: International container transshipment terminal (Galathea Bay), dual-use civil-military airport, township, and power plant.
Project cost: ~US$ 10 billion.
Forest diversion: ~13,000 ha (predominantly tropical rainforest); 1.82% of island forest cover cited in official figures (disputed by ecologists).
EC granted: November 2022, MoEFCC Expert Appraisal Committee; 42 specific conditions.
Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary: Denotified January 2021 by SC-NBWL.
Shompen PVTG: Estimated 200–400 individuals; scheduled tribe, protected under PVTG framework and Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Key legislation: EIA Notification 2006 (under EPA 1986), ICRZ Notification 2019, Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, Biological Diversity Act 2002.
Post-clearance compliance: Six-Monthly Compliance Reports (SMCRs) to be submitted to MoEFCC and disclosed publicly — the transparency mechanism at issue.
Strategic proximity: ~150 km from Malacca Strait; 1,200 km from Colombo; strategic value for Indian Ocean Domain Awareness.