In Great Nicobar, a shifting of the green goalposts

The National Green Tribunal's order on the green clearance to the infrastructure project at Galathea Bay in the south of the island violates scientific and procedural propriety

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In a now widely reported development, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently granted its approval to the ₹90,000-plus crore mega-infrastructure project in Great Nicobar Island. Pivoted by the Niti Aayog and implemented by the Port-Blair-based Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO), the project includes a transshipment terminal at Galathea Bay in the south of the island, a dual-purpose airport adjoining the port, a power plant, and a massive township and tourism project spread over 130 sq km of pristine tropical forests.

The six-member NGT bench said in its February 16 order that it found no reason to interfere with the environmental clearance (EC) granted to the project in November 2022, which was subsequently challenged in the NGT on a range of procedural and scientific grounds. The bench noted that adequate safeguards were provided in the EC conditions, and that it had, therefore, refused to stay the clearance in the first round of litigation.

It observed that the remaining issues (a total of three) highlighted in the first round had been dealt with by the High-Powered CommitTee (HPC) set up by the Tribunal in April 2023. These were related to the adequacy of one-season data relied upon for the clearance, the presence of coral colonies in Galathea Bay, and the fact that the port site was designated CRZ-1A, where port construction is not allowed. CRZ-IA is a coastal area with maximum protection on account of its ecological importance - the presence of marine turtle nesting beaches, ground nesting birds, mangroves and coral reefs, among others.