By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: An online petition seeking withdrawal of proposed development plans on Great Nicobar Island has surpassed 2.10 lakh signatures as of Thursday, May 21, reflecting rising public concern over the project.
Concerns raised in the appeal focus on large-scale forest loss and call for environmentally sustainable alternatives for the island’s development.
On Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, the Union government has proposed multiple major infrastructure projects. These include an international transshipment terminal, a greenfield airport, a township, and a power plant.
Environmental experts, academics, researchers, conservationists, and retired civil servants have expressed several objections.
Their concerns include underestimation of tree felling, shortcomings in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), lack of adequate consultation with local communities, and alleged violations of forest rights provisions.
Another major concern raised in the petition is the possible clearing of about 130 sq km of rainforest, involving the felling of roughly 9.6 lakh trees, with some estimates placing the figure close to one million.
It also warns that the port project could endanger biodiversity in Galathea Bay in the island’s southeastern region.
Questions have also been raised about the impact on indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese communities. The petition points to insufficient ecological, social, and environmental assessments, along with the island’s vulnerability due to high seismic activity and tsunami risk.
Supporters of the petition argue that although the project includes urban development components such as residential townships and hotels aimed at economic growth, these gains come at a heavy ecological and social cost that cannot be ignored.
PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas), a sustainable development framework associated with former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is behind the petition.
It has been sent to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the National Board for Wildlife.
The Change.org campaign, which began more than a year ago, had reached 2,10,669 signatures by 7:50 pm on May 21.