Plea before NGT seeks full disclosure of panel report on Great Nicobar Project
New Delhi/ Sri Vijaypuram (Port Blair): A new interlocutory application filed before the National Green Tribunal by activist Ashish Kothari has sought complete disclosure of the high-powered committee (HPC) report that reviewed alleged gaps in the clearances granted to the Rs 81,000-crore Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure project. The application also challenges the Centre’s decision to keep the report confidential.
In a report published by The Indian Express, Kothari has argued that the government’s claim of “strategic and privileged information” is being used to avoid judicial scrutiny, calling it contrary to facts. The plea states that the Environment Ministry’s refusal to share the report is “illegal and violative of principles of natural justice”, especially since the document directly concerns the clearances he has already challenged.
The application has been filed in ongoing proceedings before a six-member NGT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava. The Bench is hearing two petitions by Kothari, one alleging violations of the Island Coastal Regulation Zone 2019 notification and another seeking a reconsideration of the environmental clearance granted to the project.
The HPC was constituted in April 2023 on the Tribunal’s directions to address “unanswered deficiencies” related to the project’s environmental impact. The committee was headed by former Environment Ministry Secretary Leena Nandan. The Ministry has earlier told the NGT that no part of the proposed trans-shipment port falls in a no-go development zone under the island’s coastal regulation framework, a point Kothari’s counsel has disputed.
The Great Nicobar project includes a trans-shipment port, an airfield for both civil and military use, a township, and a 450 MVA power plant based on gas and solar energy. The plan spans 166 sq km and requires diversion of 130 sq km of forest land.
According to an affidavit filed by the Environment Ministry on July 5, the HPC report was submitted to the Tribunal in a sealed envelope. A sealed copy was again circulated to the Bench on October 30 during the previous hearing.
In the new application, Kothari has urged the Tribunal not to rely on the findings of the sealed report, arguing that any decision based on undisclosed material would compromise natural justice and the right to a fair hearing. The plea notes that over 40 documents related to the project’s clearance process, including the environmental impact assessment and masterplan, are already public, and questions why the HPC’s review alone has been classified as confidential.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
