Nicobar project a bid to loot tribal resource, alleges Congress

Terming the Modi Government “anti-tribal”, the Congress on Tuesday alleged that the Great Nicobar project was aimed at “looting tribal resources” and the Centre was using the cover of national security to dispossess tribal communities of their land.

Adivasi Congress chairperson Vikrant Bhuria alleged that tribal people are being stripped of their water, forests and land everywhere, whether in Sijimali or Hasdeo.

Addressing a press conference, he claimed that the BJP Government at the Centre wants to loot tribal resources in the name of the proposed Great Nicobar development project.

Bhuria alleged that the Government was using the cover of national security to dispossess tribal communities of their land and natural resources.

He alleged that the BJP Government intended to “bulldoze tribal forests” and facilitate the exploitation of mineral wealth by corporate groups.

Raising concerns over deforestation in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo forests, Odisha’s Sijimali region, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the issue of delisting of tribal communities, Bhuria alleged that the BJP was systematically trying to weaken tribal identity, constitutional protection and land rights. Speaking about the Great Nicobar project, Bhuria claimed that the island currently has a population of around 8,000 people, but the Government plans to settle nearly five lakh outsiders there under the proposed development initiative.

He alleged that nearly one crore trees would be cut for the project and claimed that plans for large-scale townships and casinos were part of the proposal.

Bhuria expressed concern over the impact of the project on the Shompen tribe, describing it as one of the world’s most vulnerable indigenous communities with a population of only around 200 people remaining.

He noted that Great Nicobar has been recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and accused the Government of ignoring ecological sensitivities. The Congress leader also highlighted the island’s seismic vulnerability, noting that the region falls in an extremely sensitive earthquake zone.

Settling lakhs of people there, he said, would expose them to grave risks.

Bhuria further argued that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands act as a climatic shield for mainland India and play a key role in the monsoon system.

Massive deforestation in the region, he warned, could adversely affect rainfall patterns and contribute to drought conditions in the mainland.

On the issue of the UCC and tribal delisting, Bhuria described them as “a major attack on tribal rights”.

He alleged that the BJP intended to divide tribal communities and reduce their population figures in order to weaken reservation benefits and reduce the number of reserved assembly and Lok Sabha seats.

Bhuria also alleged that Government officials were being informally instructed to avoid recording tribal identities under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category in official housing-related data entries.

“On the 24th May, that is, just two days ago, the BJP organised a gathering of tribal people; or, to use their terminology, a gathering of ‘Vanvasis’... in this initiative, they had set a nationwide target of bringing 5 lakh people, drawing from every state, to create a massive gathering of half a million people here; however, the reality was that they managed to bring only a handful of people from those regions, and even those who were brought were lured there through deception,” he claimed.

“They called this event the ‘Janjatiya Sanskritik Samagam’, yet in reality, it had absolutely nothing to do with the dignity of the tribal people nor did it have any connection to their culture,” Bhuria said.