Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has written a letter to Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav regarding the Great Nicobar Island project. In this letter, the Congress leader has alleged that the composition of the high-level committee constituted to reconsider the environmental clearance for the project is biased and it cannot lead to a meaningful review of the project. Ramesh also expressed 'serious concern' that despite the National Green Tribunal hearing the petitions presented before it, the government is inviting expressions of interest regarding the project.

'The Government of India is bent on imposing ecological and human disaster'

The former Environment Minister wrote in the letter, 'I believe that the Government of India is bent on imposing an ecological and human disaster on our country.' Jairam Ramesh, citing media reports, said, 'First of all, I am surprised that the High Powered Committee (HPC) constituted on the instructions of NGT to review the environmental and CRZ clearance did not include any independent institution or expert, even though NGT had asked it to do so. The HPC is biased due to its composition, it has not done any meaningful and comprehensive re-evaluation, as it was instructed to do. The HPC report has been kept secret.'

Jairam Ramesh raised questions on declaring the project as strategic

The Congress leader said, 'I am unable to understand how a township focused on promoting tourism, commercial trans-shipment port and power plant can suddenly be declared as 'strategic projects' on which there can be no public debate?' In a 10-page letter to Bhupendra Yadav, Jairam Ramesh wrote that 'even if one accepts the strategic and defense importance of the project, it will have a serious impact on the tribal communities and natural ecosystem of the island. One cannot be against 'strategic considerations', but certainly a better balance can and should be struck between them and ecological concerns, which is certainly missing in this case.'

What is the Great Nicobar Project?

The Great Nicobar Project was started by the Narendra Modi government in the year 2021. This mega project is to be built till the last tip of the Andaman-Nicobar Islands. Under this, a port for cargo ships, an international airport, smart city and a 450 MW gas and solar power project will be set up. The Great Nicobar Project of the Central Government is a project of Rs 72,000 crore. Great Nicobar Island is located about 1,800 km east of the mainland of India. It is being built in an area of ​​​​910 square km in the Bay of Bengal. There is also Indira Point on this island, which is just 170 km from Indonesia's largest island Sumatra. This project is very important in terms of India's dominance in the Indian Ocean.