Great Nicobar Project: Government Assures No Disturbance to Shompen Tribe

The government has assured Parliament that the Rs 72,000-crore Great Nicobar project will not disturb the Shompen tribe. Measures include monitoring committees for welfare and geo-fencing for protection. The project, overseen by ANIIDCO, involves a port, airport, power plant, and township development.

On Thursday, the government assured Parliament that the Rs 72,000-crore Great Nicobar project will not disturb the Shompen tribe or their habitations. The project proponent is required to set up a monitoring committee to ensure the welfare of both the Shompen and Nicobarese people.

Additionally, geo-fencing and surveillance towers will be installed to safeguard the tribal settlements. The project, spearheaded by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO), includes developing a transshipment port, an airport, a power plant, and a greenfield township.

In response to a question by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh emphasized that project activities would not disrupt the Shompen tribe. He highlighted that 7.114 sq km of tribal reserve would be used for the project with compensatory afforestation measures and a substantial portion of land reserved for green development.