The Great Nicobar Trade-off

 In November 2022, an extremely large development project amounting to ₹72,000 crore  project, on the Great Nicobar Island got a green signal. A big port, a swanky airport, a renewable energy power plant, and a luxurious township were part of the great plan.

But in April 2023, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) gave a pause button on the project. They claimed that they received complaints where they said that the environmental clearances were rushed through.

The reason why the government wanted to develop this region in the first place.

Firstly, the point to be highlighted is the strategic aspect of national security. The report states that the ‘foreign power’ has been creating a presence around the Indian peninsula. Which evidently stated that it’s China. The work wasn’t completely for the trade purpose. The setup of a port in Djibouti and began converting it not being acknowledged naval base. It has pleasant ties with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and has engaged in setting up ports in those areas. These things are a cause of concern for India. Having our own strong naval presence in the Great Nicobar Islands could be a discouraging factor to any other ulterior motives that China might have.

Secondly, it’s economic benefits. In total if we take an account 50% of the global container traffic and 70% of the world’s oil trade passes through the seaways of the Indian Ocean. The southern tip of the Great Nicobar Island which is known as the Indira Point is right in the midst of this action. It’s actually 150km from Indonesia. It’s like a hop, skip and jump. Not to forget the closeness to other countries such as Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand too. Having a trading port here could mean we get facilated of a good chunk of trade that passes through as well.

Thirdly, it’s about the tourism aspect. The virgin beaches, evergreen rainforests, and scenic hills are something that is dreamt off but yet to be developed. The new airport would change the scenario. And it is expected that the tourism will generate revenue of ₹4,700 crores annually by 2052. That’s when the project is expected to be up and run in a full fledged manner. And there will be a huge job opportunities that will be created.

As we can see drastic change government is also very supportive.

But wile taking about the environmental aspect, the question is whether the Great Nicobar Island is a biosphere reserve.

Now here comes the negative aspects.

The project will require clearing up 8,50,000 trees in this ecological hotspot. Even though there will be compensatory afforestation. The shelter of rare and endemic creatures such as the Nicobar tree shrew, the Great Nicobar crested serpent eagle, and the Nicobar megapode will be threatened.

And detailing the project, the government apparently decided that the Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary would be denotified. That the sanctuary which is not considered for any conservation anymore, will be used for port activities.

Tribes will get affected — the Shompen and the Nicobarese.

The Andaman Islands to see the impact of development on the tribal communities.

Sure, you could ignore all this and still say — but we need development.

The islands lie along a seismic fault line. Which means that the area is prone to earthquakes.

So, it’s evident that inorder to carry on the development there are lots of hurdles. Therefore careful actions should be taken.