Campbell Bay: Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi alleged on Wednesday that the proposed Great Nicobar project at Campbell Bay is “one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against the natural and tribal heritage of the country.”
The nearly Rs 81,000 crore project, involving the construction of a transhipment terminal, a power plant and township, was cleared by the National Green Tribunal in February this year.
The project would lead to the felling of millions of trees across 160 sq km of rainforest, Rahul claimed, describing the project as “destruction dressed in development’s language.”
“I travelled throughout Great Nicobar today. These are the most extraordinary forests I have ever seen in my life. Trees older than memory. Forests that took generations to grow. The people on this island are equally beautiful — both the Adivasi communities and the settlers — but they are being robbed of what is rightfully theirs
,” he posted after visiting Great Nicobar.
“The government calls what it is doing here a ‘project’. What I have seen is not a project. It is millions of trees marked for the axe. It is 160 sq km of rainforest condemned to die. It is communities that have been ignored while their homes have been snatched away. This is not development. This is destruction dressed in development’s language,” he further said.
“So, I will say it plainly, and I will keep saying it: what is being done in Great Nicobar is one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against this country’s natural and tribal heritage in our lifetime. It must be stopped. And it can be stopped — if Indians choose to see what I have seen,” Rahul added, as reported by Deccan Herald.
The project will enhance maritime trade, connectivity and security, and serve as a force multiplier for India’s geo-strategic and economic interests, close to the Malacca Strait that connects the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the Centre has maintained.
Rahul met tribal leaders, opposing the project, on Tuesday. A section of tribal communities has raised concerns over lack of transparency, environmental risks, and alleged neglect of tribal rights by the Centre.
The Congress leader also criticised corporate influence in the Union Territory and said development should prioritise local needs over corporate interests.