NEW DELHI: Two days after government issued a detailed note on the ambitious Great Nicobar Project, clarifying certain questions raised by Rahul Gandhi, Congress countered its stance on Sunday by saying Centre had failed to address serious concerns raised by affected local communities, environmentalists, anthropologists, academics and civil society voices regarding the project. The opposition party also demanded a parliamentary debate on the issue to address transparency and security concerns.Congress neta Jairam Ramesh refuted government’s claim that the project is a strategic initiative to strengthen India’s presence in Andaman Sea by quoting former chief of naval staff Admiral Arun Prakash (retired) who had argued that “the security capabilities of ANC (Andaman & Nicobar Command) need to be addressed separately and must have no linkage with the developments contemplated for GNI (Great Nicobar Island)”.In a four-page note, Ramesh said, “There is thus no need to link India’s legitimate security imperatives with the so-called ‘development project’ — complete with a township, high-end tourist infrastructure and large transshipment terminal — that the Modi government is intent on bulldozing through…”The party alleged that government is in “damage control mode” following a recent visit to the island by leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. Ramesh argued that the Great Nicobar ecosystem is unique and cannot be compared to other islands in the archipelago.Flagging significant concerns regarding the Nicobarese and Shompen groups, he pointed out that Nicobarese community had withdrawn its No Objection Certificate (NoC) for forest diversion in Nov 2022.
