A project of strategic and national importance, Pg10

Key Highlights:

• The Great Nicobar Island Project is an integrated development plan featuring an international container transhipment terminal (ICTT) with a capacity of 14.2 million TEU, a greenfield international airport, a 450 MVA power plant, and a township.
• The project aims to transform Great Nicobar into a major maritime and air connectivity hub in the Indian Ocean Region.
• An amount of ₹81.55 crore has been released for wildlife conservation plans before the start of construction.
• Approximately 1.82% of the total forest area of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is proposed to be diverted for the project.

Detailed Insights:

• The Great Nicobar Island Project is being developed in three phases: Phase I (2025-35), Phase II (2036-41), and Phase III (2042-47), covering a total area of 166.10 square kilometers.
• The project has undergone thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies, and an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been prepared to minimize environmental impact during construction and operation.
• The project will not displace the Nicobarese and Shompen tribes, and a committee has been mandated to oversee welfare and address issues related to these Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
• To compensate for the 73.07 sq. km of tribal reserve being de-notified for the project, an area measuring 76.98 sq. km is being re-notified as a tribal reserve, resulting in a net addition of 3.912 sq. km to the tribal reserve area.
• Compensatory afforestation for the project is proposed to be raised in other States, with 97.30 sq. km of land identified in Haryana for diversion of phase I of forest land measuring 48.65 sq. km.
• Safe wildlife corridors at eight locations along the eastern side of the island have been proposed to facilitate the movement of wildlife between the forest and the seashore.

Key Concepts Involved:

• International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT): A port facility designed to handle the transfer of containers between ships, facilitating efficient cargo movement.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): A process to evaluate the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account inter-related socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
• Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs): A sub-category of Scheduled Tribes that are considered more vulnerable based on factors like declining population, low literacy, and pre-agricultural level of technology.