‘Brown colonialism’: India’s Nicobar port project imperils isolated Indigenous people

A US$9 billion infrastructure project aims to turn the sparsely populated home to remote Indigenous tribes into a Hong Kong-like industrial port city that could see the local population increase by 8,000 per cent. Activists say the project is tantamount to genocide.

Shompen men move through the forest on Great Nicobar Island

In 2022, a team of Indian government officials met with a tribal leader from the Nicobar Islands to discuss a proposed development project. The authorities sought the leader’s approval to acquire “unused” lands for the initiative. 

Unaware of the full implications, the unschooled Panchayat leader, representing his community, signed off on the request, assuming the areas in question were indeed unused. 

However, this was far from accurate. Whether the deal went through as a result of deliberate deception or poor communication on the government’s part is unclear. 

A well-intentioned member of the government delegation later privately informed the tribal leader of the stark discrepancies in the proposal. Alarmed, the leader wrote to the Modi administration, withdrawing his consent on behalf of his community.  

His plea, however, has been ignored.

This incident, shared confidentially by an insider, helped to pave the way for the Indian government’s aggressive push for the controversial Great Nicobar Island Development Project.

The ambitious infrastructure project, estimated at ₹720 billion (US$9 billion), aims to establish a transhipment terminal, a greenfield airport, a 16,000-hectare solar power plant, and two new coastal cities.  

It also includes plans for domestic and international cruise terminals, with the government envisioning a trading hub akin to Hong Kong. 

A government study put together in March 2021 said the project would place the Great Nicobar Island on the map of the “east-west shipping route that links East Asian exports with the Indian Ocean, Suez Canal, and Europe”. 

Situated on the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island in the Andaman Sea, the project is intended to bolster India’s defence, logistics, commerce, and tourism sectors over the next three decades. 

However, since its conception during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, the initiative has faced fierce resistance from environmentalists and ecologists. 

Despite stiff resistance from environmental activists and political opponents, prime minister Narendra Modi’s administration has completed all the formalities for the implementation of the project. 

“The decision on the proposal involving the development of the Great Nicobar Island project has been taken after due consideration of potential environmental impacts on all the environmental components of the project, including the tribal population residing on the island. It also takes into account the significant strategic, defence, and national importance of the developmental projects,” Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state for environment, told the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, on 12 December. 

With environmental approvals and judicial obstacles cleared, the only step remaining is authorisation from the Cabinet, which could take place during the parliamentary session beginning on 31 January. 

The tendering process could begin immediately after the cabinet’s approval. 

‘Brown colonialism’ 

Several experts familiar with the Indian archipelago and its indigenous communities have refrained from publicly criticising the government’s approach, citing fear of reprisals.  

They allege the government has taken a hostile stance, using deceptive means to gain control of the pristine landscape. 

Requests for specifics about the project, including environmental clearances issued at unprecedented speed, have been repeatedly denied even under the powerful right-to-information (RTI) legislation. 

The authorities have also refused to release top-level committee reports on environmental assessments. 

The project’s estimated cost of ₹720 billion has been questioned as it lacks any transparent or credible public framework. Green activists seeking further information were told that such details pertain to “national security.” 

The project is being spearheaded by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Ltd (ANIIDCO), a little-known government agency. 

“The most important aspect is that people like the Great Nicobari [indigenous tribes] are being completely sidelined,” said a researcher who has worked extensively on the islands. 

“It’s colonialism – brown colonialism of our own making. Our own country is colonising the island and marginalising these people. This has to change. We cannot continue violating human rights so blatantly,” the researcher added, speaking anonymously for fear of government backlash. 

Another expert stated: “There is no evidence that the project has considered the lives, needs, or opinions of the locals, particularly the Indigenous communities. This is a clear imposition on them, as noted by national and international experts alike.”  

illustration for new port at Nicobar island

The Indian government’s visualisation of the Great Nicobar mega-port, just one of several massive developments that are set to impact the island. Image: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways

‘Ecocide and a death sentence’ 

The Nicobar Islands are home to unique flora and fauna, with over 80 per cent of the Great Nicobar Islands covered in pristine rainforests. Many native species are endangered and found nowhere else on the planet, making the region one of UNESCO’s vital biosphere reserves. 

“The scale of commercial infrastructure development – beyond strategic security needs such as shipping, tourism, airports, and power plants – is unprecedented. Adding two new cities and bringing in 400,000 settlers is a death knell for this UNESCO biosphere reserve. The irreversible damage amounts to ecocide,” said Shailendra Yashwant, senior advisor at Climate Action Network South Asia, a civil society group.

The government has estimated that one million trees will be felled for the project, but independent experts suggest the actual number could be ten times higher. 

Critics argue that the project reflects India’s trend of prioritising large-scale corporatisation over environmental safeguards. The powerful Adani Group, which dominates India’s port and airport infrastructure, is expected to be a significant beneficiary of the development.

The project could lead to the resettlement of 450,000 to 600,000 people from mainland India to the island. 

“Most Shompen reject contact with outsiders and are highly vulnerable to diseases for which they have little or no immunity. The neighbouring Great Andamanese tribes lost over 99 per cent of their population after contact,” said Callum Russell, Asia research and advocacy officer at Survival International, a global movement for Indigenous peoples’ rights. 

Russell cautioned: “By increasing the island’s population by 8,000 per cent, the mega-project exposes the Shompen to immense disease risks, making their extermination overwhelmingly likely. Last year, 39 genocide scholars from 13 countries issued an open letter to the Indian government, calling the project a ‘death sentence’ for the Shompen and urging its immediate cancellation.” 

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