Resettlement census to begin to make way for Great Nicobar project

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration launched a Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) census for families likely to be displaced by the trunk infra...

What Happened

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration launched a Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) census for families likely to be displaced by the trunk infrastructure component of the Great Nicobar Island mega-project.
Document verification for the R&R census began in Gram Panchayat Campbell Bay, covering families in the project's initial land acquisition footprint.
Affected families were asked to keep ready approximately 24 categories of documents — including land records, islander certificates, and tsunami certificates — for verification by the census team.
The R&R census is a mandatory pre-displacement process under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, to identify affected families and determine compensation entitlements.
The trunk infrastructure phase covers the construction of the trunk road and foundational infrastructure — the first physical phase of the larger project before the main components commence.
The project, conceived by NITI Aayog and launched in 2021, is implemented by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) at an estimated cost of ₹92,000 crore.

Static Topic Bridges

Great Nicobar Island: Location and Strategic Geography

Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost major island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago and the southernmost point of India. It lies at the intersection of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, approximately 150 km from the northern tip of Sumatra (Indonesia). Its proximity to the Strait of Malacca — the world's busiest maritime chokepoint — and its position along the Six Degree Channel give it immense strategic value for naval surveillance, maritime domain awareness, and power projection.

Location: Southernmost island in A&N archipelago; ~150 km from Sumatra
Proximity: Overlooks the Six Degree Channel and the western approaches to the Strait of Malacca
Strategic value: Potential hub for naval operations, surveillance, and maritime interdiction
Administered as part of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Connection to this news: The Great Nicobar Island project is explicitly framed within India's Act East Policy and strategic interest in the Indo-Pacific, making it simultaneously an infrastructure, security, and environmental governance story.

The Great Nicobar Island Mega-Project: Components and Implementation

The Great Nicobar Island project is one of India's largest infrastructure undertakings in a remote and ecologically sensitive location. It was conceived by NITI Aayog and is being implemented by ANIIDCO (Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation).

Total estimated cost: ₹92,000 crore
Implementing agency: ANIIDCO (Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation)
Four main components: International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Greenfield international airport, township, and gas-solar power plant
Launched/conceived: 2021
The ICTT aims to capture a share of transhipment traffic currently handled by Colombo, Singapore, and Port Klang
Environmental clearance was granted in 2022, but has been subject to sustained expert and judicial scrutiny

Connection to this news: The R&R census marks the transition from planning to physical ground-clearing — the first residents are being displaced to make way for the trunk road.

Biodiversity of Great Nicobar Island

Great Nicobar Island is one of India's richest biodiversity zones. The island hosts the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (designated 1989, a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve), which encompasses two national parks — Campbell Bay National Park and Galathea National Park (gazetted 1992). Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is a globally significant nesting site for giant leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), the world's largest living turtle and a critically vulnerable species.

Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve: Established 1989, UNESCO MAB status
Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary: Critical nesting site for leatherback sea turtles; established 1997
Other key species: Nicobar pigeon, saltwater crocodile, endemic flora
The project's ICTT and airport footprint overlaps with the denotified portions of Galathea Bay — a key controversy
Environmental experts have raised concerns about EIA process, forest diversion scale (~130 sq km), and impact on nesting beaches

Connection to this news: Families being resettled are from the same geography that conservation bodies argue must remain undisturbed — the displacement census operationalises the project in the face of unresolved ecological objections.

Shompen Tribe: PVTG Status and Tribal Protections

The Shompen are one of India's most isolated indigenous communities, residing in the interior forests of Great Nicobar Island. They are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) — a category used for the most vulnerable tribal communities who have declining populations, a pre-agricultural technology level, and extreme geographical isolation. India recognises 75 PVTGs across 18 states and UTs.

Population: Estimated 200–300 (highly uncertain due to their isolation)
Classification: PVTG under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Key legal protections: Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956; Forest Rights Act, 2006; Shompen Policy, 2015
Shompen Policy (2015): Mandates "minimal interference," requires an Empowered Committee review for large projects affecting their territory, and prohibits outsider contact to prevent disease exposure
The 6th Schedule of the Constitution (which provides for autonomous district councils in tribal areas) does NOT apply to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands — the islands are governed directly as a Union Territory under the Lieutenant Governor

Connection to this news: The R&R census covers settler and tribal communities in Campbell Bay — critics argue that the Shompen's rights under FRA and the Shompen Policy have not been fully assessed before physical displacement begins.

Land Acquisition and R&R Framework: LARR Act, 2013

The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013 (also called the Land Acquisition Act, 2013) replaced the colonial-era Land Acquisition Act, 1894. It mandates a comprehensive Social Impact Assessment (SIA), consent of affected families in certain categories, and a detailed R&R scheme before displacement can occur.

Full name: Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013
Key provisions: SIA mandatory; consent required (80% for PPP projects, 70% for private projects); R&R entitlements must be determined before displacement
The R&R census is the initial step to identify who is "affected" and to what extent
Critics of the Great Nicobar process argue that consent requirements and SIA adequacy have not been fully met

Connection to this news: The document verification exercise that began in Campbell Bay is the formal triggering of the LARR Act's R&R census process, a legal prerequisite before land can be physically acquired for the trunk road.

India's Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Strategic Dimension

India's Act East Policy — a successor to the Look East Policy (1991) — was elevated in 2014 to focus on deepening economic, strategic, and cultural ties with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Indo-Pacific. Great Nicobar Island's development is positioned within this framework: the ICTT is designed to compete with regional transshipment hubs, while the naval and air infrastructure will extend India's maritime reach.

Act East Policy: Launched 2014, prioritises ASEAN, East Asia, and Indo-Pacific engagement
Great Nicobar's ICTT: Designed to capture transhipment cargo from Colombo, Singapore, Port Klang
Naval dimension: A dual-use port and airstrip could support Indian Navy and Coast Guard operations in the eastern Indian Ocean
Malacca Strait: ~90% of India's energy imports pass through or near it; monitoring capability from Great Nicobar has strategic value

Connection to this news: The resettlement census operationalises a project that straddles development, security, and ecology — making it a model case study for how India navigates competing priorities in the Indo-Pacific era.

Key Facts & Data

Project cost: ₹92,000 crore (approximately)
Implementing agency: ANIIDCO (Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation)
Project components: ICTT, greenfield international airport, township, gas-solar power plant
Conceived by: NITI Aayog (2021)
Environmental clearance: Granted 2022
Biosphere Reserve: Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO MAB, est. 1989)
National Parks inside reserve: Campbell Bay NP and Galathea NP (both gazetted 1992)
Galathea Bay WLS: Critical leatherback sea turtle nesting site (est. 1997)
Shompen tribe: PVTG, population ~200–300, protected under Shompen Policy 2015
Forest diversion: Approximately 130 sq km of forest area proposed to be diverted
R&R legal basis: LARR Act, 2013 (Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act)
Documents required: Approximately 24 categories (land records, islander certificates, tsunami certificates, etc.)
Campbell Bay: First gram panchayat where R&R census document verification began
6th Schedule: Does NOT apply to Andaman and Nicobar Islands