Latest news with #GreatNicobarIslandDevelopmentProject
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Wayanad tunnel: Experts question green clearance, cite lack of proper studies
Kozhikode: The expert appraisal committee (EAC) decided to grant environmental clearance (EC) to the Rs 2,134-crore Wayanad tunnel road project by laying down 60 conditions—despite acknowledging a month ago that the tunnel would pass through vulnerable, landslide-prone terrain. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This has raised serious concerns, including questions about the reliability of the studies used to justify EC and the inadequacy of proposed mitigation measures. At its first meeting on April 4, EAC deferred clearance citing several issues. It raised concerns that blasting vibrations could affect surrounding areas and nearby structures and said a detailed study was needed to assess if the project could worsen landslide risks. EAC specifically asked for an evaluation based on recent landslide events in the region including their causes and impacts. However, the final clearance report does not mention any new study that carried out a detailed evaluation as suggested. The only new study in the final report, titled Geological and Geomorphological Features of Proposed Anakkampoyil-Meppadi Tunnel Alignment and Impact Area, was done by K Soman, a retired scientist from Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram. The other two studies mentioned in the clearance report—a geotechnical investigation and a water drainage study—were done earlier during preparation of the detailed project report. The final EC agenda report only said that state expert appraisal committee, while recommending environmental clearance in March, advised micro-scale mapping of landslide-prone zones to enable regular monitoring and prevent activities that could further destabilise the land. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The report also said that Konkan Railway, on behalf of the project proponent, passed on these requirements to Geological Survey of India and approached it to carry out necessary investigations. Environmental scientist and former water resources department director V Subhash Chandra Bose said this could be the first time EC was granted to a project with so many conditions. "That alone shows the risks involved in the project. What they have overlooked is that the project area falls in a region the state govt classified as high-risk for landslides and the project goes against the principle that activities causing disturbances should not happen in such areas," he added. Bose questioned the reliability of doing studies after deciding to go ahead with a project, saying such studies only aim to clear the way for it. Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samiti president N Badusha said the state got clearance for the project from MOEF using false information. He added that EAC used a similar approach to approve the project without proper multidisciplinary studies to assess landslide risks in the mountainous area, especially after recent cloudburst events. "Some recent ECs given by MOEF bodies, including the one for Great Nicobar Island Development Project, sand sea mining and mega tourism in Lakshadweep islands, show how the process is weakened and staged. EC for the Wayanad tunnel is the latest example," he said. Samiti plans to approach HC or other bodies within 10 days to challenge MOEF's clearance for the project. Badusha added that most conditions set by EAC are vague, unclear and impractical. "For example, EAC recommended monitoring the endangered Banasura Chilappan bird. But monitoring does not help when tunnelling destroys its mountain habitat. Will they stop the project if monitoring shows the bird has been displaced? Many other recommendations also just call for more monitoring without real action," he added.
Scroll.in
04-05-2025
- Scroll.in
Scroll's Vaishnavi Rathore wins Danish Siddiqui Journalism Award 2025
Scroll's Vaishnavi Rathore on Sunday won the 2025 Danish Siddiqui Journalism Award in the 'Print/Digital' category for her reportage on the Great Nicobar Island Development Project. Rathore, the first journalist to report from the ground about the contentious project's environmental and social impacts, was awarded for the 'excellence, depth, and relevance' of her work. Scroll readers crowdfunded the reporting project. The Danish Siddiqui Journalism Award honours 'journalists who embody integrity, courage, empathy, and truth'. It celebrates 'those who push boundaries and tackle challenges to deliver impactful reporting that informs, educates, and inspires change'. 'By recognizing these storytellers, we uphold Danish Siddiqui's legacy of fearless journalism, inspiring and guiding future generations with his commitment to excellence,' the award website states. Siddiqui was a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and the chief of Reuters Pictures multimedia team in India. He covered many important events in Asia, West Asia and Europe, including the Rohingya refugee crisis – for which he received the Pulitzer along with two colleagues – the Hong Kong protests and the living conditions of asylum seekers in Switzerland. Siddiqui was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in July 2021. He was covering the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan for Reuters.
Mint
25-04-2025
- General
- Mint
Great Nicobar's development: Strategic gain or loss of balance?
The remote, stunningly beautiful and little understood Great Nicobar Island has been the focus of news reports in recent months, two decades after it made headlines when the 2004 tsunami devastated lives and altered its coastline. This time, it's a man-made wave of development that is drawing attention: specifically, plans under the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, which has an outlay of ₹ 81,000 crore and was launched in 2021. Infra work is proceeding apace on a trans-shipment port, an international airport, power plants, tourism facilities and a township where hundreds of thousands of people are expected to settle. The project's blueprint covers 160-sq-km, including 130-sq-km of tropical rain- forest land that is home to people whose lives are intricately linked to its numerous species of plant and animal life. Environmentalists, climate activists and even novelist Amitav Ghosh have described it as 'ecocide.' India's biodiversity is like a wondrous quilt of beauty and Great Nicobar is one of our few untouched hot-spots. It holds a range of micro-habitats, from beaches, mangroves and coastal forests to rivers, lagoons and rainforests that host an invaluable variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, crustaceans, amphibians, insects and plants—some found nowhere else in the world. This treasure trove is at risk. The isle's Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the few nesting sites for the vulnerable and endemic Nicobar megapode as well as the Giant Leatherback Sea turtle, was de-notified in January 2021 to ease the port's construction. Apart from causing irreversible ecological harm, our brick-and-mortar intrusion is likely to devastate traditional lifestyles and ancestral lands. Forest-dwelling and semi-nomadic, the Shompen are a 'particularly vulnerable tribal group" of 229 individuals, according to India's 2011 census. It's a population small enough to be wiped out by the flu, and, as they are among the world's last people with almost no contact with the outside world, their immunity may prove unable to withstand an influx of outsiders. Great Nicobar is also home of the Nicobarese, a settled tribe that mostly practises horticulture. For decades, India has respected and protected the rights of isolated indigenous people to their land and way of life, with contact made on their terms. Not very long ago, an American social media influencer who tried to film the Sentinelese on North Sentinel Island was arrested. Yet, ' development ' seems to license much worse. The archipelago's strategic value for trade and defence, given its Bay of Bengal location, is undeniable. The isles are within close reach of major Indian and East Asian ports, and could support the Quad's aim of a free and open Indo-Pacific. But Great Nicobar isn't just real estate; it is a fragile ecosystem that's prone to low-intensity quakes. The 2004 tsunami's impact is yet to be fully understood, though researchers found that it tilted the archipelago, leaving some dry parts submerged. Is pouring tonnes of concrete and steel into such a sensitive zone a good idea? These lands are not just inhabited by folks who deserve the liberty to live how they like, undisturbed if they so choose, they offer us a unique chance to expand the frontiers of knowledge if we go about it delicately. While the country does need to develop, we must not place the details of our development path beyond the scrutiny of reason. Steamrollers 2,500km away from New Delhi signal a loss of balance. Our geo-strategic aims can be met at far lower cost.
