NCST Blocks RTI on Great Nicobar Project, Citing Privilege

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has rejected an RTI request seeking details on the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar Island project’s impact on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) like the Shompens and the relocation of villages from tiger reserves, invoking parliamentary privilege and RTI Act exemptions.

The April 3 RTI, filed by a PTI correspondent, sought NCST meeting minutes since January 2022 and correspondence with the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

The NCST, responding on June 9, directed the applicant to its website, which lacks meeting minutes post-April 2021, and demanded specific file numbers for further details. On July 2, Deputy Secretary Y.P. Yadav cited Article 338A, arguing that reports to the President, tabled in Parliament, are exempt from public disclosure. The response also referenced Section 8 of the RTI Act, claiming disclosure could breach parliamentary privilege, endanger lives, reveal sources, or hinder investigations, without specifying how.

Tribal rights experts criticized the NCST’s stance. “Denying basic information undermines the NCST’s role as a protector of tribal interests,” said an anonymous researcher. The ₹72,000-crore ‘Holistic Development of Great Nicobar’ project, involving a transshipment port, airport, township, and power plant across 160 sq km, threatens 130 sq km of forest inhabited by the Nicobarese and Shompens (200-300 population). Critics, including 103 former civil servants, warn of ecological devastation and tribal displacement, with 9.6 lakh trees slated for felling.

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The NCST’s June 5-7 visit, led by member Asha Lakra, claimed tribal support for development but was contradicted by Barnabas Manju, Chairman of the Little and Great Nicobar Tribal Council, who said the council was excluded and learned of the meeting via media. The council withdrew its 2022 no-objection certificate, alleging withheld information. In April 2023, the NCST sought an action-taken report from the Andaman administration on constitutional violations.

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, in June 2024, promised to review clearance issues, but transparency remains elusive, fueling concerns over Forest Rights Act violations and inadequate tribal consultation.

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