New Delhi, May 20 (H.S.): The Indian National Congress on Wednesday accused the Central Government of attempting to divert attention from environmental concerns surrounding the Great Nicobar Island project by labelling critics of the project as supporters of China.

Party General Secretary in-charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh, in a post on social media platform X, alleged that the government’s approach amounted to an attempt to discredit those raising legitimate concerns.

Referring to developments following the 2020 Ladakh standoff, Ramesh said several questions had emerged regarding the government’s stance during negotiations between India and China. He claimed that changes had occurred in provisions related to traditional patrolling rights and access in certain areas. He also referred to trade imbalances and broader strategic concerns involving China.

Ramesh stated that while India certainly needs to address China’s economic and strategic challenges, the Great Nicobar project is primarily a commercial venture. According to him, the proposed transshipment port under the project has no direct connection with military infrastructure.

He further claimed that proposals related to the expansion of military infrastructure in certain sectors of the Andaman and Nicobar Command had been ignored for a long time.

Alleging that large corporate interests could be linked to the project, Ramesh expressed concern that the development may have serious environmental and social consequences for the ecologically sensitive region and local communities.

He asserted that the project could pose significant ecological and humanitarian risks if implemented without adequate safeguards and scrutiny.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar