Editor's Pick: Nicobar project gets assent for diversion of 130 sq. km of forest

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has granted an in-principle clearance to divert 130.75 sq km of forest in Great Nicobar Island for a mega project that is estimated to be worth ₹72,000 crore. The project includes a transshipment port, an airport, a power plant and a greenfield township. The planned diversion will cover almost 15% of the forest on Great Nicobar Island – making it one of the largest such single forest diversions in recent times. It is almost 25% of all the forest land diverted in the past three years across the country. According to MoEFCC, 8.5 lakh trees will have to be cut in Great Nicobar for this project. These are primary evergreen tropical trees with high biological diversity and also high endemism – which means that they are only found in a single location. The ministry’s forest conservation division issued a letter for clearance on October 27. A key condition for the clearance is the submission of a detailed scheme for compensatory afforestation, which is to be done on “non-notified forest land” in Haryana. However, the final Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report mentioned that the compensatory afforestation over 260 sq km will be carried out in Madhya Pradesh. There is no clarity on how the switch to Haryana was made. A right to information (RTI) application filed in October seeking the details of the compensatory afforestation scheme in Madhya Pradesh was rejected. Haryana, on the other hand, is notorious for having one of the highest rates of diversion of its own forest land even though the forest cover in the State is minimal. The MoEFCC has itself said that the Great Nicobar Island has one of the best-preserved tropical forests in the world and is home to nearly 650 species of flora and 330 species of fauna. The development project is bound to jeopardise this rich biodiversity hotspot. 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[Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Nicobar project gets assent for diversion of 130 sq. km of forest The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has granted an in-principle clearance to divert 130.75 sq km of forest in [Great Nicobar Island for a mega project]( that is estimated to be worth ₹72,000 crore. The project includes a transshipment port, an airport, a power plant and a greenfield township. The planned diversion will cover almost 15% of the forest on Great Nicobar Island – making it one of the largest such single forest diversions in recent times. It is almost 25% of all the forest land diverted in the past three years across the country. According to MoEFCC, 8.5 lakh trees will have to be cut in Great Nicobar for this project. These are primary evergreen tropical trees with high biological diversity and also high endemism – which means that they are only found in a single location. The ministry’s forest conservation division issued a letter for clearance on October 27. A key condition for the clearance is the submission of a detailed scheme for compensatory afforestation, which is to be done on “non-notified forest land” in Haryana. However, the final Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report mentioned that the compensatory afforestation over 260 sq km will be carried out in Madhya Pradesh. There is no clarity on how the switch to Haryana was made. A right to information (RTI) application filed in October seeking the details of the compensatory afforestation scheme in Madhya Pradesh was rejected. Haryana, on the other hand, is notorious for having one of the highest rates of diversion of its own forest land even though the forest cover in the State is minimal. The MoEFCC has itself said that the Great Nicobar Island has one of the best-preserved tropical forests in the world and is home to nearly 650 species of flora and 330 species of fauna. The development project is bound to jeopardise this rich biodiversity hotspot. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor‘s Pick and more. [Click here]( The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Saffron strides: On the BJP’s Assembly bypoll wins]( [Arrow][A necessary signal: On COP27 U.N. Climate meeting]( The Hindu Daily News Quiz Giving a 3:2 majority opinion, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court upheld the Constitutional Amendment which provides 10% reservation in government jobs and education to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) excluding SC, ST, OBC. Which one of these judges was not a part of the majority opinion? - Justice Bela M. Trivedi - Justice J.B. Pardiwala - Justice Dinesh Maheshwari - Justice U.U. Lalit To know the answer and to take the quiz, [click here](. Today’s Best Reads [[Justice D.Y. Chandrachud sworn in as 50th Chief Justice of India] Justice D.Y. 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