The centre submits the Great Nicobar project’s HPC report
The Union Environment Ministry presented, in a sealed envelope, the report from a high-powered committee (HPC) established to reassess the environmental clearance for the Great Nicobar Island mega infrastructure project, to a six-member bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava.
Additionally, the environment ministry submitted an extra affidavit to the NGT, indicating that Rs 80 crore has already been allocated by the end of March for wildlife conservation initiatives and healthcare, as stipulated in the conditions of the statutory environmental clearances for the mega project. This funding encompasses allocations for the conservation of the leatherback sea turtle, Nicobar megapode, long-tailed macaque, coconut crab, and the preservation of native flora and fauna, among other initiatives.
The bench allowed the applicant’s counsel time to submit a rejoinder to the environment ministry’s supplementary affidavit and postponed the proceedings. “It is respectfully submitted that the report from the high-powered committee, along with the pertinent documents, has been provided in a sealed envelope for the Tribunal’s careful consideration,” the environment ministry articulated in its affidavit.
A six-member bench, presided over by Justice Shrivastava, was reviewing ongoing cases brought forth by environmental activist and researcher Ashish Kothari concerning alleged environmental infringements related to the project.
The environment ministry’s supplementary affidavit was submitted in compliance with the NGT’s directives issued in March, which required documentation of the follow-up actions and results after the HPC reassessed the project’s statutory environmental clearance.
The HPC was constituted in April 2023 under the NGT’s orders to address “unresolved deficiencies” concerning the impact of the mega project, which includes a port and airport, particularly regarding coral conservation, the port’s location in a restricted area, and the limited collection of baseline data. The NGT had refrained from intervening in the environmental and forest clearances granted for the project.
