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NITI Aayog’s Project for Great Nicobar Island

Part of: GS Prelims and GS – III – Environment

In news

The Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) – Infrastructure I of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has flagged serious concerns about NITI Aayog’s ambitious project for Great Nicobar Island.

Key takeaways

The committee has, however, removed the first hurdle faced by the project.
It has “recommended” it “for grant of terms of reference (TOR)” for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies, which in the first instance will include baseline studies over three months.
The proposal includes an international container transshipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, a power plant and a township complex spread over 166 sq. km. (mainly pristine coastal systems and tropical forests), and is estimated to cost ₹75,000 crore.

Important value additions

Galathea Bay

Galathea Bay is the site of the port and the centrepiece of the NITI Aayog proposal.
It is an iconic nesting site in India of the enigmatic Giant Leatherback, the world’s largest marine turtle.
A number of species are restricted to just the Galathea region.
These include the critically endangered Nicobar shrew, the Great Nicobar crake, the Nicobar frog, the Nicobar cat snake, a new skink (Lipinia sp), a new lizard (Dibamus sp,) and a snake of the Lycodon species that is yet to be described.

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