Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav last week rejected allegations by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh that the statutory environmental clearances granted to the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) Project were based on studies that relied on inadequate baseline data.In a written response to the Congress MP’s May 10 letter, he asserted that concerns raised on environmental impact assessment, biodiversity impacts have ‘already been examined in detail during the ‘statutory appraisal and subsequent judicially mandated review process’.In his response dated May 27, Yadav said that environmental appraisal of the project was undertaken in a ‘comprehensive and multi-tiered manner in accordance with the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, the Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notification (ICRZ), 2019, and other applicable provisions.The GNI project will span 166 sq km and include a transshipment container port, an international military-civilian use airport, power infrastructure, and a greenfield coastal city. It will require felling of 13,000 hectares of pristine forest on the ecologically sensitive islands.Ramesh called the studies considered during the project’s appraisal a mockery of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process and an insult to science, while responding to a detailed FAQ and statement issued by the environment ministry on May 1. He also urged the government to make public the report of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) mandated High-Powered Committee (HPC), tasked with revisiting the project’s environmental clearances.In his reply, Yadav defended the project appraisal process and cited the detailed environmental studies, shoreline assessments, marine investigations and modelling exercises undertaken by reputed institutions such as Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).Regarding multi-season EIA studies, the minister stated that while primary field data were collected over a single seasonal cycle, the analysis was integrated with long-term historical datasets maintained by reputed institutions, which, he said, possess decades of ecological research experience in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Forest Rights and the Great Nicobar Mega-Project: The case before the Calcutta High CourtRamesh alleged in his May 10 letter that the project’s environmental and coastal regulation zone clearance was granted on the basis of baseline studies done contrary to the requirements of the ICRZ notification and the EIA manual for Ports and Harbours.On the allegation that norms for carrying out comprehensive studies in low or medium-eroding stretches, including Galathea Bay, where a transshipment port is planned, Yadav said this requirement was not met as Galathea’s eastern flank is stable.“The shoreline change assessment carried out by NCSCM using six time-series satellite datasets over a 17-year period concluded that the eastern flank of Galathea Bay, where the proposed port is located, is predominantly stable to moderately accreting due to offshore sheet rock formations and favourable sediment deposition patterns,” he said.He also sought to point out that the NGT examined the environmental studies and baseline data issues in its February 16 judgment.On the confidentiality of the HPC report, a key appeal in Ramesh’s letter, the minister maintained that the report contains information of strategic, defence and national importance, and that certain details were therefore exempt under Section 8(1)(a) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, which exempts disclosure of information that may prejudicially affect the sovereignty, security, strategic or scientific interests of the state.Story continues below this adOn biodiversity, Yadav said the project had been examined in detail with respect to corals, leatherback turtles, megapodes, shoreline stability, marine ecology and tribal welfare by expert institutions as well as by the Expert Appraisal Committee and the HPC.Citing the NGT’s February order, Yadav said it observed that adequate safeguards and monitoring mechanisms had been incorporated, and further recognised the project as one of strategic, defence and national importance, observing that projects of larger public and national interest cannot be denied solely on apprehensions where adequate mitigation and conservation measures have been incorporated.An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram