Great Nicobar Sanctuaries: Tribal Council Alleges FRA Violations
Why in the news
Nicobarese tribal leaders objected to wildlife sanctuaries carved out on their islands, saying the community was never consulted. Jairam Ramesh, a former Environment Minister, raised the matter in a letter to the Tribal Affairs Minister.
The three sanctuaries (notified October 2022)
| Sanctuary | Location |
|---|---|
| Leatherback Turtle Sanctuary | Parts of Little Nicobar Island |
| Megapode Sanctuary | The whole of Menchal Island |
| Coral Sanctuary | The whole of Meroe Island |
Key facts
- Great Nicobar Island (GNI) project: ₹92,000 crore; includes an international container transhipment port, airport and greenfield township, expected to affect corals, leatherback turtle and Nicobar megapode habitats.
- Grievances: no consultation since August 2022; the sites are culturally and spiritually important, believed home to ancestral spirits; they affect existing rights such as ritual hunts, plantations and ancestor worship.
- Demands: revoke the notifications, dissolve the eco-sensitive zone committee, and restore community rights under the FRA.
- Administration’s reply: in May 2025 the A&NI administration clarified that hunting rights of Nicobar STs would not be affected; the council found this inadequate because consent was not addressed.
- Jairam Ramesh’s points: FRA consent should come from the Tribal Council, not Gram Sabhas; the government-controlled Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti cannot consent for the Shompen (a PVTG); FRA clearances should be withdrawn.
- Court angle: the Calcutta High Court is hearing challenges to the GNI project over alleged FRA violations.
Background
- Nicobarese: the largest indigenous group of the islands, organised in traditional councils (Tuhets) and recognised as Scheduled Tribes.
- Shompen: a PVTG in the interior forests of Great Nicobar, semi-nomadic and forest-dependent.
- Forest Rights Act, 2006: recognises individual and community rights of forest-dwelling STs and other traditional forest dwellers, and requires free, prior and informed consent before forest land is diverted.
- Leatherback turtle and Nicobar megapode are both rated Vulnerable by IUCN; the megapode is endemic to the Nicobars.
- Eco-sensitive zones are buffers around protected areas, notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Significance
- Tests whether indigenous consent can be bypassed in large projects.
- Raises the question of whether compensatory conservation can proceed without breaching tribal rights.
- Changing the sanctuaries could affect the environmental clearance of the GNI project.
Exam angle
- Law: Forest Rights Act, 2006, implemented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- Groups: Nicobarese (ST) and Shompen (PVTG).
- Compensatory conservation: three sanctuaries for the GNI project.