Nice Nicobar infra mission a recipe for ecological catastrophe: Congress

Congress common secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh. File
| Picture Credit score: ANI

The Congress on Sunday (January 5, 2025) termed the Nice Nicobar Island infrastructure mission a “recipe for ecological and humanitarian catastrophe” and stated the Prime Minister ought to instantly order a pause and arrange an unbiased panel to overview it.

Congress common secretary Jairam Ramesh stated the Modi authorities was pushing forward with the mission regardless of a number of objections raised by him prior to now.

“The ₹72,000-crore mega infrastructure mission in Nice Nicobar Island is a recipe for ecological and humanitarian catastrophe. My exchanges on this unfolding tragedy with the Union Minister of Atmosphere, Forests, and Local weather Change are all within the public area,” he stated in a submit on X.

The previous Union Atmosphere Minister stated the mission’s varied parts have been: a global container transshipment port; an airport; an influence plant; an enormous greenfield township and tourism amenities.

“The complete mission will destroy at the very least 33,000 acres of pristine tropical forest. Now comes information that the mission is proposed to be expanded to determine — a cruise terminal to facilitate a world port-led metropolis; a shipbuilding and ship-repair facility; and an export-import port,” Mr. Ramesh stated.

He claimed that an extra 100 acres of biodiversity-rich forests could be destroyed on account of those new proposals.

“That is sheer folly multiplying. The blatant hypocrisy of a Prime Minister who boasts to the world of his deep dedication to environmental causes stands completely uncovered.

“There isn’t any nice thriller on who will get these port contracts. If the Prime Minister needs to stroll his discuss, he ought to instantly order a pause and arrange an unbiased panel to overview the mission in its entirety,” the Congress chief stated.