Published on: August 07, 2025 04:04 pm IST
Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh cited information from the local administration and said that 12,428 trees have fallen in the first phase of road construction.
Under a tribal reserve, more than 130 hectares will be diverted for the Great Nicobar Trunk Infrastructure Road Project, the government has told the Rajya Sabha. Overall, 238.76 hectares are proposed to be diverted to arterial roads. This includes 39.23 hectares of government, 39.86 hectares of private, 10.62 hectares of deemed forest and 149.05 hectares preserved forest land.
Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh cited information from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration and said that 12,428 trees are expected to fall into the first phase of the construction of the arterial road. He was proposed for the project on Forest, Tribal Reserve, and private land, Tribal Reserve, and Aam Aadmi Party MLA Narain Das Gupta on private land, which proposed the number of trees proposed to fall, ecological compensation etc.
Singh said that for non-one-one objectives, forest land turns are made according to the Forest Protection Act, rules and guidelines. He said that it is allowed with the terms of compensatory afforestation and receipt of pure current value. Singh said that additional mitigation measures in the form of soil and moisture conservation works, catchment area scheme, wildlife management scheme, etc. are also determined on the basis of case-case.
The road will be cut through the Great Nicobar Island and will connect all the villages on it. On June 20, HT reported a draft social impact assessment study for the project that it would provide mass employment, business facilities, and will create “unrelated areas on the route rich region”.
Draft published on the website of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration’s Social Welfare Directorate said that a large number of trees would have to fall for the road. It states that the tribal population of Shompan and Nicobis has agreed to turn for the road. Draft claimed that the road project would not affect their way of life. The humanist has warned against the social influence of the project, especially on tribes.
