CURRENT AFFAIRS | JUNE 2, 2026
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday, 1 June 2026 sharply rejected Congress MP Jairam Ramesh’s 10 May letter alleging that statutory environmental clearances for the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) Project rested on inadequate baseline studies and a “mockery” of the EIA process.
The contested project — pegged at Rs 72,000 crore — envisages an international container transshipment terminal at Galathea Bay, a greenfield international airport, a 450 MVA power plant and a township spread over 13,000 hectares of pristine forest on India’s southernmost island.
Constitutional & Statutory Framework
- Article 21: Right to a clean and healthy environment (read into the right to life — Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar, 1991).
- Article 48A: DPSP — protection and improvement of environment (42nd Amendment, 1976).
- Article 51A(g): Fundamental duty to protect natural environment.
- Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: Parent law for EIA Notification, 2006.
- Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980: Diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I protections (leatherbacks, Nicobar megapode).
- Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) Notification, 2019: Specific to A&N coastal regulation.
- RTI Act, Section 8(1)(a): National-security exemption invoked to withhold project details.
Project Snapshot
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total cost | ~Rs 72,000 crore |
| Forest land diverted | 13,000 hectares |
| Anchor infrastructure | Transshipment port at Galathea Bay, international airport, power plant, township |
| Affected PVTGs | Shompen + Nicobarese (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) |
| Keystone species | Leatherback turtle (Schedule I), Nicobar megapode |
| Baseline data invoked | NCSCM 17-year satellite series; EAC + HPC + IUCN consultations |
Ramesh’s letter argued that the project’s EIA relied on a single seasonal cycle of data, dismissed the NGT-mandated High-Powered Committee report and treated outdated zoological data as adequate. Minister Yadav’s rebuttal cited NCSCM (National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management) satellite imagery spanning 17 years, multi-stakeholder reviews by the Expert Appraisal Committee, the High-Powered Committee, and IUCN, and field data from the CCNT Andaman & Nicobar Centre on leatherback nesting and Galathea Bay shoreline dynamics.
CLAT 2027 Angle
A near-certain comprehension passage source. Test areas: (a) judicial environmental doctrines — polluter pays, precautionary principle, sustainable development (Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. UoI, 1996); (b) PVTG protections and the Andaman & Nicobar Tribal Council consultation requirement; (c) NGT’s appellate jurisdiction under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010; (d) the tension between Articles 21/48A and strategic national-security infrastructure citing RTI Section 8(1)(a). The leatherback turtle is the world’s largest sea turtle and a Schedule I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Mnemonic — “GALAT”
Galathea Bay = port site | Article 21 + 48A = environmental jurisprudence | Leatherback turtles nest here | ANTC consultation (Tribal Council) | Total cost Rs 72,000 cr; 13,000 ha forest diverted
For aspirants, the row crystallises the broader Indian challenge — reconciling Article 48A obligations with strategic infrastructure imperatives in the Indo-Pacific. The Supreme Court’s T.N. Godavarman continuing mandamus and the doctrine of intergenerational equity are likely passage anchors.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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