Understanding the Great Nicobar Development Plan:
Development or Derangement?
Two-Day Online Deliberation
8th & 9th February | 3-5 pm
Day 1 | 8th February | 3-5 pm
Speakers:
Pankaj Sekhsaria
Prof., IIT Bombay, His research area lies at the intersection of science, society and environment. He has written about the many violations that raise alarm about the project in Nicobar.
Janki Andharia
Prof., TISS Mumbai. Her research area includes gender issues, environmental concerns and democratic governance. She has written about the ill-conceived Nicobar infrastructure plan.
Swathi Seshadri
She leads the Oil, Gas and Petchem research at CFA and has been long associated with issues in the environment, community and development interface.
Moderated by:
Thomas Franco
Former Gen Sec, AIBOC & People First
Day 2 | 9th February | 3-5 pm
Speakers:
MG Devasahayam
He is a Former Civil Servant and People-First (Chairman). Chairman, Coordination Committee, Peoples’ Commission on Public Sector and Public Services
Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas
He served as the Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. He has been a vocal champion of democratic rights and people’s movements.
CR Bijoy
He examines resource conflicts and governance issues. He is part of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity, a national coalition of Adivasi and forest dwellers’ organisations
Manish Chandi
He works in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the interface between communities and the natural environment.
Moderated by:
Amitanshu Verma
Centre for Financial Accountability. Among other things, he works on environmental and social safeguards for financial institutions in their lending to mega projects.
Organised by People First & Centre for Financial Accountability
↪️ Register here for the zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMocO2vqzotHdNrEpDlWPbix0K_GEsGlor3
The crisis at Joshimath yet again demonstrated the perils of mindless development. But such mindlessness today extends from the mountains to the seas. One such mega project being the â‚ą75,000 crore Great Nicobar Development Plan that includes a port, an airport, a power plant and a township under a vision plan conceived by the NITI Aayog. The plan is to increase the population there by 4000% putting the indigenous people at peril! Various concerns and violations have been raised by environmentalists regarding the project.
There is an urgent need for public debate about the impact of such a project and also about the model of such unsustainable development that is being funded with big money with hardly any accountability and safeguards.
Join us for the two-day deliberation with experts, activists, environmentalists, former civil servants and union members.