Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, made a serious statement on Monday regarding the Great Nicobar Project. Describing it as a planned act of audaciousness, a mockery of justice, and a betrayal of national values, she emphasized the need to raise a voice against it.
New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, stated on Monday that the Great Nicobar Project is a planned act of audaciousness, a mockery of justice, and a betrayal of national values. She asserted that a voice should be raised against it. In an article written for the English daily 'The Hindu', Sonia Gandhi also pointed out that the collective conscience of the nation cannot remain silent when the existence of certain tribal communities is at stake. She stressed that the destruction of a highly specific ecosystem on such a large scale cannot be permitted.
Sonia Gandhi's Reaction
In her article published in the English daily 'The Hindu', Sonia Gandhi stated that the collective conscience of the nation cannot remain silent when the existence of certain tribal communities is at stake. She said that the large-scale destruction of a highly sensitive and unique ecosystem cannot be allowed. Sonia alleged that the Great Nicobar mega-infrastructure project, costing ₹72,000 crore, poses a threat to the existence of the island's indigenous tribal communities. The project is being advanced in a disorganized and insensitive manner on an island vulnerable to natural disasters.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge shared Sonia Gandhi's article on social media. Rahul Gandhi stated that the article exposes the injustice being done to the people of Nicobar and its ecosystem through this project. Sonia Gandhi said that incomplete and flawed policies have been made for this project over the last 11 years. She alleged that the Nicobari and Shompen tribes are being displaced due to the project.
Sonia Gandhi said - 'Threat to Tribal Communities'
The Great Nicobar Island is home to two indigenous communities: the Nicobari tribe and the Shompen tribe. The proposed project area includes ancestral villages of the Nicobari tribes. During the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Nicobari people were forced to leave their villages. Sonia Gandhi said that this project will permanently displace the communities, leaving their dream of returning to their ancestral villages unfulfilled.
The destruction of the forest ecosystem inhabited by the Shompen tribe could endanger their social and economic identity. Sonia Gandhi alleged that the government is disregarding established regulatory safeguards and due processes. She stated that the Nicobari and Shompen tribes should have been included as stakeholders under the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
