Scientists, conservationists warn of irreversible damage from govt’s Great Nicobar Project
New Delhi: The Centre’s ambitious Great Nicobar Infrastructure Project has once again come under scrutiny, with over 70 scientists, conservationists, and sociologists writing to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday, warning of its “grave and irreversible negative impacts” on the fragile island ecosystem.
In a strongly worded letter, as cited by Deccan Herald, the signatories accused the government of being “disingenuous” in invoking national security to defend what they described as a largely commercial venture disguised as a strategic project. They also criticised the decision to entrust biodiversity monitoring to a “handful” of institutions that had earlier drafted what they termed “illogical, unscientific and baseless” mitigation plans.
While the government has maintained that the project, which includes a dual-use military-civilian airport, holds strategic and maritime significance, the experts pointed out that the defence component accounts for only about 5 per cent of the total area. The remaining 160 sq km is earmarked for a commercial trans-shipment port, power plant, and township to house around 3.5 lakh settlers, in contrast to the island’s current population of roughly 8,000.
“It is misleading to label a predominantly commercial project as strategic and to cite national security whenever questions are raised,” the letter stated. They noted that excluding the defence enclave of 12.6 sq km, the proposed greenfield township covers over 80 per cent of the total project area.
The conservationists also noted that the proposed translocation of 20,000 coral colonies and crocodiles from Galathea Bay, the creation of artificial enclosures for the Nicobar Megapode (an endemic bird), and measures that would shorten the nesting approach of leatherback turtles by tenfold.
“These are glaring examples of unscientific and baseless mitigation strategies,” the letter said, adding that none of the detailed plans were available on the ministry’s website or through the RTI system.
They further noted that the Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, that designed the plans are also tasked with monitoring their implementation, calling it a “clear conflict of interest.”
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
