Nicobar tribes watch as key road project gathers pace in the region

The Andaman and Nicobar Administration has invited financial bids to conduct a social impact assessment for land proposed to be acquired for an arterial road at Great Nicobar Islands (GNI) under the Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project, according to documents seen by HT.

- Jayashree Nandi

NEW DELHI:

The so-called trunk road infrastructure will involve acquisition of approximately 90.935 hectares of private land for which a social impact assessment is mandatory. A total of 666.44 hectares is likely to be impacted by the trunk infrastructure, a notification issued by the directorate of social welfare, A&N administration on April 11 stated. The notification is available on the website of directorate of social welfare, A&N.

The affected revenue villages in the trunk infrastructure project are Campbell Bay, Gandhi Nagar, Jogindher Nager, Govind Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, and Vijay Nagar. The road also traverses through a large stretch of forest area as per the map provided by the administration in the tender document.

"ANIIDCO Ltd Sri Vijaya Puram will be undertaking the work of constructing Trunk infrastructure at Great Nicobar Islands. The proposed land is admeasuring an area of 666.44 ha and the affected area to be covered under SIA study is 90.943 ha," the notification says adding that the SIA report and social impact management plan should be completed within six months of issuance of the notification.