Great Nicobar residents support land acquisition for Green Field International Airport; Settlers make reasonable demands

Tarun Karthick

Port Blair, June 30, 2024

The Indian government has unveiled ambitious plans to transform Great Nicobar Island through a series of mega projects. Recently, the island’s strategic importance has attracted considerable media attention, highlighting the potential benefits that such a development could bring not only to Great Nicobar Island but also to the entire Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the nation as a whole.

Although it has been criticized, supporters say it will usher in prosperity and development. The comprehensive development plan includes a transshipment port, Green Field International Airport, a power plant to support infrastructure, a municipal district to accommodate the influx of people, and various related infrastructure. However, these projects require significant land acquisitions.

The land required for the construction of the Green Field International Airport is proposed to be purchased from ex-servicemen settlers in the profitable villages of Shastri Nagar and Gandhi Nagar. On June 28, 2024, two Public Hearings were held in these villages in preparation for the Social Impact Assessment Report required under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013.

The meetings were attended by officials from Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited, Directorate of Social Welfare of Andaman and Nicobar Administration, Delhi-based M/s Probe Social Development & Research Pvt. Ltd. and the local administration.

During the hearings, family members of the former soldiers’ settlers and other residents expressed their support for the land acquisition. However, they presented several demands to the government, insisting that they be met:

1. Significant compensation for the acquired land.

2. Provide alternative land in Greater Nicobar to all affected ex-soldier settlers.

3. Fair compensation for each coconut tree, emphasizing its economic importance.

4. Providing building plots to every family in Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar and also financial support for construction.

5. OBC status for former settler soldiers from Greater Nicobar, granted to their counterparts from other islands.

6. Providing employment to one member of each former soldier’s family in disaster-affected villages.

Family members of former military settlers and other residents also demanded that, in return for compensation, land taken after the tsunami be returned to individuals and included in the calculation of compensation for the purchase of land for the Green Field International Airport.

Amid nationwide opposition to the megaprojects, many outside the region, including self-proclaimed environmentalists, have launched campaigns against the development. Critics say the opposition often comes from people unfamiliar with the geography and local context of Great Nicobar.

Recent meetings have underscored the overwhelming support for the project from local former settlers, who see the development as a path forward, dismissing opposition from outside voices as irrelevant to their realities on the ground.