NGT Approved Great Nicobar Project:
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has approved the Rs 81,000-crore Great Nicobar project, stating that it found “no good ground” to intervene, while imposing stringent conditions to safeguard the environment.
- NGT acknowledged the “strategic importance of the project” and noted that “adequate safeguards” have been incorporated in the environmental clearance to mitigate ecological impacts.
- The NGT directed that construction (including foreshore development) must not cause erosion or adverse shoreline changes near the project area or along any of the islands.
- It specifically ordered that there shall be “no loss of sandy beaches,” recognizing these beaches as critical nesting sites for turtles and birds, and as natural protection for the islands.
- It ordered the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to take “all measures” to protect coral reefs along the coastal stretch and to ensure “coral regeneration through proven scientific methods.” Any existing scattered coral must be “translocated” as per Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) suggestions.
- The environmental clearance contains specific conditions for the protection of Leatherback sea turtles, Nicobar megapode, Saltwater crocodiles, Robber crab, Nicobar macaque and other endemic bird species of the Great Nicobar island.
- The NGT stipulated that the government is bound by the conditions in the environmental clearance and must ensure these are not violated at any stage of project implementation.
