Bulldozer ignores concerns of locals: Congress on Great Nicobar project

Citing a report, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Andaman and Nicobar administration has prepared a draft plan to "relocate" Nicobarese families affected by the project

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday cast doubt on the government's claims that the Great Nicobar infrastructure project would not displace any local tribes, questioning the need for a draft "Comprehensive Tribal Welfare Plan" if tribal communities were indeed unaffected.

Citing a report, he said the Andaman and Nicobar administration has prepared a draft plan to "relocate" Nicobarese families affected by the project.

"The bulldozer moves on unmindful of the concerns of the local communities," he said on X.

"But there is a fundamental contradiction here: the Modi Government claims that the Great Nicobar Infra project will not disturb or displace tribes -- then why a relocation plan? Clearly, the claim is a lie," Ramesh said in the post, while also sharing a news article on the report.

 

The report claims that a draft plan outlining the "relocation" of Nicobarese tribal communities affected by the Union government's Great Nicobar Island (GNI) mega-infrastructure project "to their ancestral lands" has created confusion and is exacerbating existing apprehensions among locals.

This draft -- "Comprehensive Tribal Welfare Plan" -- prepared by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration and circulated on March 13, 2026, for consultation with line departments and the Tribal Council of Great Nicobar, proposes a Rs 42.52-crore outlay over 24 months for the "relocation of Nicobarese tribal communities from tsunami-affected or project-impacted areas," the report claims.