Congress: Government ignored Nicobar concerns | India News
Rahul Gandhi, Congress His stand on Sunday was countered by saying that the Center has failed to address serious concerns raised by the voices of affected local communities, environmentalists, anthropologists, academics and civil society. The opposition has also demanded a parliamentary debate on the issue to address transparency and security concerns.Congress leader Jairam Ramesh denied the government’s claim that the project was a strategic initiative to strengthen India’s presence in the Andaman Sea citing former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) who argued that “the security capabilities of the ANC (Andaman and Nicobar Command) need to be addressed separately and the NIG should not have anything to do with the GNI (islands)”.In a four-page note, Ramesh said, “Thus the so-called ‘development project’ – complete with a township, high-end tourist infrastructure and large transshipment terminal – through which the Modi government seeks to bulldoze – has no need to add to India’s legitimate security requirements…”The party alleged that the government is in “damage control mode” after the recent visit of the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to the island. Ramesh argued that the Great Nicobar ecosystem is unique and cannot be compared to other islands in the archipelago.Expressing significant concern over the Nicobarese and Champaign communities, he noted that the Nicobarese community has withdrawn its No Objection Certificate (NoC) for forest expansion in November 2022.
