M Rajshekhar
@mrajshekhar.bsky.social
Reporter. India. Tracking energy, environment and the national/transnational processes shaping both. Author of 'Despite the State'. Reach me at www.mrajshekhar.in
February 20, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Credulity is the precursor to ecocide. Great Nicobar is about to flip from 'pristine ecosystem' to a resource frontier overrun by speculators and contractors -- not Singapore. Mark these words. As a wrap, also read editor
Vaishna Roy's letter to readers. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Vaishna Roy's letter to readers. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
The Great Nicobar Project: A Mega Development or an Environmental Catastrophe?
Today, “development” means turning riverfronts, coasts, farmlands, hills, and forests into profit hubs for mining and real estate giants. While land transforms into high-end residences, resorts, and l...
frontline.thehindu.com
February 20, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Credulity is the precursor to ecocide. Great Nicobar is about to flip from 'pristine ecosystem' to a resource frontier overrun by speculators and contractors -- not Singapore. Mark these words. As a wrap, also read editor
Vaishna Roy's letter to readers. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Vaishna Roy's letter to readers. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Here is a look at some -- some -- of the endemic fauna of the island. The question is: what is the burden of proof/discussion India needs before it agrees to decimate an ecosystem? If DPRs and government proclamations suffice, then good luck! frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Endangered Wildlife of the Nicobar Islands: 10 Species at Risk from the Great Nicobar Project
The Nicobar Islands are a biodiversity hotspot, home to unique species found nowhere else. Long isolated, these islands have fostered rare wildlife, but many species now face extinction due to the Gre...
frontline.thehindu.com
February 20, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Here is a look at some -- some -- of the endemic fauna of the island. The question is: what is the burden of proof/discussion India needs before it agrees to decimate an ecosystem? If DPRs and government proclamations suffice, then good luck! frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Our society, as they say, should have the gumption to speak what it intends through its actions.
February 20, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Our society, as they say, should have the gumption to speak what it intends through its actions.
Along the way, the government salves popular conscience/perceptions by creating the facade of biodiversity management + impact mitigation. Read this report by Rohan Arthur and @mizoraman on why scientists have to stop getting coopted into this charade. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Great Nicobar’s Flawed Restoration Plan: Why Tree-Planting and Reef Relocation Won’t Save Its Ecosystem
The Great Nicobar development project’s mitigation plan oversimplifies ecological restoration, reducing it to tree-planting and reef relocation. Here’s why that’s a dangerous illusion.
frontline.thehindu.com
February 20, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Along the way, the government salves popular conscience/perceptions by creating the facade of biodiversity management + impact mitigation. Read this report by Rohan Arthur and @mizoraman on why scientists have to stop getting coopted into this charade. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Familiar arc, this. DPRs paint a rosy picture>>>popular imagination is captured>>>environmental clearances are procured>>>and then, firms execute only the profitable parts of the project. In this case, that means construction tenders + logging. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Great Nicobar Port Project: Economic and Strategic Justifications Under Scrutiny
The proposed container port at Great Nicobar lacks commercial viability, and its strategic benefits remain unclear. So why is this massive project being pushed forward?
frontline.thehindu.com
February 20, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Familiar arc, this. DPRs paint a rosy picture>>>popular imagination is captured>>>environmental clearances are procured>>>and then, firms execute only the profitable parts of the project. In this case, that means construction tenders + logging. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
2. If there is little examination of environmental impacts, there is even lesser evaluation of its economic viability.
February 20, 2025 at 3:56 AM
2. If there is little examination of environmental impacts, there is even lesser evaluation of its economic viability.
1. This report by @pankajsekh on how the project has been rammed through without any meaningful environmental scrutiny. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...
Great Nicobar’s Mega Project: A Costly Gamble with Forests, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Rights
The Rs. 80,000 crore Great Nicobar project faces scrutiny over deforestation, biodiversity loss, legal challenges, and cost escalations. Experts question its environmental clearances and economic feas...
frontline.thehindu.com
February 20, 2025 at 3:56 AM
1. This report by @pankajsekh on how the project has been rammed through without any meaningful environmental scrutiny. frontline.thehindu.com/environment/...