Great Nicobar Project: Draft o ‘relocate’ affected Nicobarese families creates confusion

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. They have been, for four years, protesting the clearance for the ₹92,000-crore project after withdrawing their consent in 2022, alleging that their forest rights had not been settled.

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 ₹42.52-crore outlay over 24 months for the “relocation of Nicobarese tribal communities from tsunami-affected or project-impacted areas”, which involves housing, land development and basic infrastructure.

Also read: Why has NGT cleared the Nicobar project? | Explained

However, details of where the proposed relocation will take place and who will be relocated have left members of the Tribal Council of Great and Little Nicobar confused, according to Nicobarese community leaders who spoke to The Hindu. They said they were handed a copy of the draft plan on March 28, 2026 and have since been called for two meetings by the district administration Campbell Bay to sign off on it.   

This comes as the Union government told a Calcutta High Court Bench on March 30, 2026 that it needed 15 days to “demonstrate that consent has been taken from the tribal people” for its project. This Bench is hearing a batch of petitions challenging the project’s clearance on the grounds that it violated consent procedures and forest rights of the Nicobarese and Shompen communities.

At a meeting on April 1, 2026, the Tribal Council submitted a letter pointing out that some aspects of the draft were unclear and requested a Hindi translation so all members could understand and discuss it. They said they would need at least a month to review the translated document before further discussions.  

Notably, while the draft plan states the GNI project “involves relocation”, the Centre has repeatedly said the project would not “disturb or displace tribes”. 

Unclear relocation plans 

According to a letter attached to the draft, the plan was prepared after Tribal Council leaders demanded a return to ancestral villages on the west coast of GNI that were destroyed in the 2004 tsunami, after which communities were shifed to encampments in Rajiv Nagar and New Chingenh near Campbell Bay.

However, the draft plan states, “The project involves relocation to Rajiv Nagar (32 households, 101 persons) and New Chingenh (30 households, 117 persons).” 

In a section, the plan proposes Pulobhabi for “community purposes” of residents in Rajiv Nagar, with “shared assets” to “facilitate periodic visits to ancestral lands”, while adding, “an option shall remain open” for families to return to ancestral villages outside the project area.  

For New Chingenh residents, the plan records their desire to return to Old Chingenh and Pulo Baha, but notes a final decision will be taken after assessing land availability and consultations, while their existing accommodations will be upgraded.

Further, the plan lists all enumerated families in Rajiv Nagar and New Chingenh (62 families in total) and then states: “Proposed relocation site: Pulobhabi, western coast of GNI”.   

The tables in the draft add to the ambiguity: allocations are made for upgrading 62 homes and building only 30 new homes, while another section states permanent shelters “will be built for all 62 households” — neither part explicitly mentions where these homes would come up. District authorities have not yet responded to The Hindu’s queries on what exactly the plan proposes. 

“It’s not just Pulobhabi”  

A leader of the Tribal Council said Pulobhabi is just one among several ancestral village sites, and the proposal lists only about 13 pre-tsunami Nicobarese villages when there are many more.  

In New Delhi on March 20, Great and Little Nicobar Tribal Council chief Barnabas Manju had said the community has long demanded a return to all ancestral villages along the west coast since displacement in 2004.   

Soon after the project was granted Stage-I clearance in 2022, the community withdrew their consent, fearing parts of it would encroach on their forest lands, including ancestral villages, preventing their return. Council leaders say the apprehension has only been exacerbated as the administration has not clearly explained project boundaries— a grievance the council mentioned in the April 1 letter, which noted the map in the draft is “not clear”.  

Forest Rights  

The Nicobarese communities have alleged that the administration “falsely” certified that their rights under the 2006 Forest Rights Act had been identified and settled, even though the procedure had never been initiated. This was also reiterated in the Council’s April 1 letter.  

While the draft specifies that its provisions have been drawn up under the 2013 Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act and the 1956 Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act, it does not mention anything about rights under the Forest Rights Act of 2006.  

Published – April 03, 2026 06:46 pm IST