Nicobarese community's forest rights case against Nicobar project allowed to proceed

The petitions in the Calcutta High Court say that the diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest violated the Forest Rights Act and threatened the Shompen and Nicobarese way of life and culture

Source

The Hindu — National →

Quick Revision

Prelims-testable facts

01The Forest Rights Act, 2006, recognizes the rights of forest-dwelling communities to protect and manage forests.
02The Shompen and Nicobarese tribes are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) as per the Forest Rights Act.
03The Forest Rights Act, 2006, provides for the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes only after obtaining the consent of the Gram Sabha.
04The Great Nicobar Project involves the diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest.
05The Forest Rights Act, 2006, provides for the protection of the rights of forest-dwelling communities to their traditional lands and forests.
06The Supreme Court has refused to stay proceedings against the Great Nicobar Project.
07The Forest Rights Act, 2006, recognizes the customary tenure rights of forest-dwelling communities.

Trap alerts

Most people think that the Forest Rights Act, 2006, only applies to Scheduled Tribes, but actually it applies to all forest-dwelling communities.
Most people think that the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes requires only the approval of the State Government, but actually it requires the consent of the Gram Sabha.
Most people think that the Forest Rights Act, 2006, does not apply to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but actually it does.

Prelims Practice MCQs

Single facteasy

How many square kilometers of pristine tropical forest were diverted for the Nicobar project?

A.100 sq. km
B.130 sq. km
C.150 sq. km
D.200 sq. km

The diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest was a major concern in the petitions against the Nicobar project.

Multiple statementsmedium

Consider the following statements regarding Nicobar Project: 1. The Forest Rights Act was violated by the diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest. 2. The Supreme Court has stayed the proceedings against the Nicobar project. 3. The Shompen and Nicobarese way of life and culture were threatened by the diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest. How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one
B.Only two
C.All three
D.None

Statement 1 is correct because the fact list states that the Forest Rights Act was violated by the diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest. Statement 2 is incorrect because the fact list states that the Supreme Court refused to stay proceedings against the Nicobar project, not that they stayed it. Statement 3 is correct because the fact list states that the Shompen and Nicobarese way of life and culture were threatened by the diversion of over 130 sq. km of pristine tropical forest.

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