Speaking about his new book, Betrayal of Great Nicobar Islands, published by Frontline, Pankaj Seksaria on Wednesday said the tourism and real estate projects soon to be launched by NITI Aayog pose a “highly destructive” threat to the ecosystem and indigenous people of Great Nicobar Islands.
“The current government has made great efforts to de-designate certain parts of the islands that were earlier designated as leatherback turtle sanctuaries to allow for land transfer for commercial purposes,” said Sekhsaria, who has been studying contemporary issues in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for nearly two decades, speaking at a book launch in Delhi in conversation with guest of honour Amita Babaskar, a sociologist and professor of anthropology at Ashoka University.
Baviskar added that the island’s rich ecosystem would experience “one of the worst colonizations” by political parties and corporations with the sole aim of accumulating profits.
“Since economic liberalisation, all political parties have espoused a development model that equates the grandeur of projects with development and improving the lives of local people. But all these projects have proven to be destructive,” she said.
Seksaria said the book contains chapters written by various journalists on possible widespread ecological damage, the impact of large-scale construction on an island in a seismically active zone, the impact of rapid population growth in a previously sparsely populated area, etc. He urged readers to purchase the book, adding that each and every reader’s contribution is important in thwarting the NITI Aayog plan on the island.
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