Congress General Secretary raised environmental questions on the approval of Great Nicobar Project

New Delhi. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh has raised serious questions over the environmental clearance given to the Great Nicobar Islands Development Project, accusing the Central Government of giving the approval on the basis of incomplete and inadequate Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) reports. He wrote a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav saying that the government’s claims do not match the official documents of the ministry and available studies.

Jairam Ramesh said that for such a large project in a sensitive area like Andaman and Nicobar, a comprehensive study based on at least three seasons was necessary, but the final EIA report was prepared only on data for a limited period between December 2020 to February 2021. He alleged that the study of important aspects like biodiversity, coastal erosion and leatherback turtles was also limited to a few days.

Ramesh alleged that the Environment Ministry did not make the report of the high level committee public. He said that the rare biodiversity of Great Nicobar could be seriously damaged by the project and it is not possible to replace the natural forests through artificial plantations. The Congress leader has demanded a review of the project and the approval process.