Great Nicobar is a lonely island that Indian officials seek to develop into a shipping center and tourism attraction. Droupadi Murmu visited the island on Tuesday.
The proposals, according to the administration, would maximize the potential of the area.
However, specialists claim that for the Shompen people, it would be a “death sentence”.
39 experts warned that the plan to turn the southern portion of Great Nicobar into the “Hong Kong of India” will leave the Shompen “fac[ing] genocide” in a letter to President Murmu earlier this month.
Despite the fact that the letter made news worldwide, there were concerns that the administration may not have changed its course as a result of it. Crucially, although serving as the head of state, President Murmu abstains from using his administrative authority.
Survival International spokesperson Callum Russell issued a dire warning: “If President Murmu’s visit signals the government’s determination to push through the Great Nicobar mega-project, it is a death knell for the indigenous Shompen people.”
