Over 130 hectares of tribal reserve land to be diverted for arterial road in Great Nicobar
New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI): The construction of an arterial road as part of a mega infrastructure project on the Great Nicobar Island will involve the diversion of over 238 hectares of land, including more than 130 hectares of tribal reserve, the Environment Ministry told Parliament on Thursday.
Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the proposed road will pass through 149 hectares of protected forest and 10.6 hectares of deemed forest, along with government revenue and private land.
The total tribal reserve land to be diverted is 130.4 hectares.
Around 853 square km of the island's total 910-square km area is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956.
In tribal reserves, the tribal communities own the land and have full rights to use it for their daily needs. However, transferring, acquiring or selling land in these areas is strictly prohibited.
The arterial road project is expected to lead to the felling of over 12,428 trees in its first phase.
The minister said compensatory afforestation and the realisation of Net Present Value (NPV) are part of the conditions for forest diversion.
Additional ecological safeguards such as soil and moisture conservation, catchment area treatment and wildlife management plans will also be implemented, he said.
The mega infrastructure project, titled Holistic Development of Great Nicobar, involves the construction of a transshipment port, an international airport, a township and a power plant over more than 160 sq. km of land.
This includes around 130 sq. km of pristine forest inhabited by the Nicobarese, a Scheduled Tribe (ST), and the Shompens, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), whose population is estimated to be between 200 and 300.
Asked whether free, prior and informed consent of these communities had been obtained as per the Forest Rights Act and the Andaman & Nicobar (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, the minister said that "land is a state subject" and it is the responsibility of the Union Territory to comply with relevant laws before issuing a final diversion order.
"As per the provisions of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023, the state government or Union territory administration, as the case may be, shall issue order for diversion of forest land, only after fulfilment and compliance of the provisions of all other Acts and rules made thereunder, as applicable including ensuring settlement of rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest 15 Rights) Act, 2006,” the minister said.
To safeguard the interests of local tribal communities, the environmental clearance mandates the creation of three oversight committees -- one dedicated to the welfare of the Shompen and Nicobarese, and two others to monitor pollution and biodiversity impacts.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
