Question 1

The NGT cancelled the Great Nicobar project due to violations of the Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) rules.

Accepted Answer

The NGT upheld the project, accepting expert reports from the NCSCM that claimed the project area does not actually fall under the strictly prohibited ICRZ-IA category.

Question 2

The High-Powered Committee (HPC) report on the project's ecological impact is open for public scrutiny and debate.

Accepted Answer

The HPC report was kept confidential and not placed in the public domain by the NGT due to the strategic and defense sensitivities of the project.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure project:
1. It is being implemented by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO).
2. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) relied on findings from the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) to determine Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) compliance.
3. The project includes an International Container Transshipment Terminal at Galathea Bay, which is exclusively known as a nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles.
How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

(b) Only two — Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is incorrect because Galathea Bay is globally famous as a critical nesting site for the Giant Leatherback turtle, not exclusively the Olive Ridley turtle.

Question 4

Match the following entities involved in the Great Nicobar project with their specific role or characteristic:

Entity (List I)
A. NITI Aayog
B. High-Powered Committee (HPC)
C. Galathea Bay
D. ICRZ-IA

Role/Characteristic (List II)
1. Categorized as the most strictly protected coastal ecological zone
2. Evaluated coral reef protection and coastal regulation compliance for the NGT
3. Conceived the 'Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island' initiative
4. Site for the proposed International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT)

Accepted Answer

(a) A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1 — NITI Aayog originally conceptualized the holistic development plan (A-3). The NGT-appointed HPC reviewed the environmental compliance (B-2). Galathea Bay is the specific site for the ICTT and is highly ecologically sensitive (C-4). ICRZ-IA is the Island Coastal Regulation Zone category for the most stringently protected areas (D-1).

Question 5

Assertion (A): The National Green Tribunal (NGT) declined to make the High-Powered Committee's report on the Great Nicobar project public.
Reason (R): The Environment Protection Act of 1986 mandates that all coastal infrastructure assessments in Union Territories must legally remain classified.

Accepted Answer

(c) A is true but R is false. — The Assertion (A) is true; the NGT kept the HPC report confidential citing the 'strategic importance' and defense sensitivities of the project. The Reason (R) is false; there is no blanket provision in the Environment Protection Act of 1986 that mandates all coastal infrastructure assessments in Union Territories to remain classified. The confidentiality was an exception granted by the tribunal on a case-by-case basis.

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