NEWS: As approvals near for components of the ₹92,000-crore Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure project, the Nicobar Tribal Council has alleged coercion by the district administration to relinquish ancestral tribal lands.

Great Nicobar Island Project

• Launched in 2021
• GNIP is a mega infrastructure initiative to be implemented on Great Nicobar Island (GNI), located at the southern end of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The project requires diversion of forest land in Galathea Bay, Pemmaya Bay, and Nanjappa Bay, areas traditionally inhabited by the Nicobarese community before the 2004 tsunami.
• It is being executed by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation

SIGNIFICANCE

• Enables India to monitor crucial sea routes vital for global trade and energy supply, aligning with the Act East Policy (2014) and the QUAD’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
• Enhances defense deployment, boosting India’s capacity to track Chinese naval movements and reinforce regional security
• The International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) aims to reduce India’s dependence on foreign ports like Singapore and Colombo.
• It forms a key part of the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, aligning with India’s long-term economic strategy.

Great Nicobar Island

• Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest island of the Nicobar group in the southeastern Bay of Bengal, and is mostly covered in tropical rainforest.
• Indira Point, situated on Great Nicobar Island, is the southernmost point of India.
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise 836 islands, divided into Andaman (north) and Nicobar (south), separated by the 150-km-wide 10° Channel.
• It is inhabited by small populations of indigenous tribes, including the Shompen, Onge, Andamanese, and Nicobarese.