ST panel blocks RTI on Great Nicobar project, says sharing info would breach parliamentary privilege

THE National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has refused to share information on the impact of a proposed mega infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost part of Indian territory, on primitive tribal groups and the relocation of villages from tiger reserves, citing parliamentary privilege and other legal exemptions.

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This PTI correspondent filed an RTI application on April 3 this year, requesting minutes of all commission meetings held since January 1, 2022; all communications exchanged with the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs concerning the Great Nicobar Island Development Project and its impact on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) like the Shompens; and correspondence regarding the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) directive to relocate villages from core areas of tiger reserves.

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) disposed of the RTI application on June 9, more than two months after receiving it, asking the applicant to visit its website (http://ncst.nic.in) for copies of all minutes of meetings.

The commission, however, has not yet uploaded the minutes of meetings held since April 6, 2021, on its website.

In response to queries about the Great Nicobar project and the NTCA directive, the NCST asked the PTI correspondent to "provide the concerned file number dealt in the NCST for required information".

In its July 2 response to a first appeal, the commission said the information sought by the appellant is exempted from disclosure under constitutional provisions and relevant clauses of the RTI Act.