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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Riyan Parag likely to be fined 25 percent of match fees for vaping inside dressing room
New Delhi (PTI): Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag is set to be fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into "disrepute" after being caught vaping on camera during the IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
Parag's actions during the Royals' chase on Tuesday night drew condemnation on social media.
PTI has learned that on field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon had not reported the matter to match referee Amit Sharma right after the game. They only did that after seeing visual proof and Sharma found Parag guilty for a code of conduct breach as per the IPL guidelines.
The Level 1 offences carries 25 per cent deduction from match fees and one demerit point.
"He is set to be fined a portion of his match fees and a demerit point for a Level 1 offence," said an IPL source.
The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes back in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale and distribution. As per the law, the offender faces imprisonment up to one year and/or a Rs one lakh fine for a first time offence.
"Article 2.21 of IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which is not specifically and adequately covered by the specific offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20," the IPL Code of Conduct states.
"By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.
"When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable and/or accidental, shall be considered.
"Further, the person lodging the Report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lays (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature (and hence a Level 1 Offence) up to conduct of an extremely serious nature (and hence a Level 4 Offence)."
Since it is a Level 1 offence there was no need for a hearing.
Parag, who has not had the best of times with the bat this IPL, was seen inhaling an e-cigarette, also known as vaping, in the dressing room during the live broadcast of their game against Punjab Kings. Royals won the game to end Kings' unbeaten run in the tournament.
This is not the first controversy to hit the Royals this season. Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs one lakh for breaching PMOA protocol after being found using his phone in the dugout.
IPL and BCCI officials involved in the conduct of the IPL termed it as a careless act in the age of social media and prying TV cameras.
Royals next host Delhi Capitals at home on Friday night.
