Sri Vijaya Puram, July 06: The Member of Parliament for Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, has written to the Deputy Commissioner, Nicobar District, Car Nicobar, seeking strict compliance with the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 before finalising the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) Committee meeting for the proposed Greenfield International Airport Project at Great Nicobar Island.
In his communication dated 05 July 2026, the Member of Parliament referred to the proposal received from the Assistant Commissioner/Collector, Land Acquisition, Campbell Bay, regarding the proposed R&R Committee meeting in connection with the land acquisition proceedings for the Greenfield International Airport Project.
After examining the documents furnished, Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray observed that while the preliminary notification under Section 11(1) of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013 was issued on 06 November 2025 for acquisition of land at Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar villages, Campbell Bay Tehsil, inviting objections under Section 15 within 60 days, certain mandatory statutory requirements appear to remain incomplete.
The MP pointed out that the Collector’s report containing recommendations on objections under Section 15(2) and the decision of the appropriate Government under Section 15(3) were not available in the documents furnished. He stated that these are mandatory statutory requirements before the land acquisition process can lawfully proceed towards declaration under Section 19.
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray further stated that he had earlier taken up the matter with the Government through his letter dated 01 December 2025, forwarding the objections and suggestions submitted by affected families along with his recommendations. However, according to the letter, the matter is still pending and no decision has yet been communicated.
The MP also clarified that the public hearing proceedings conducted under Section 16(5) and the report of the Administrator under Section 16(6) relating to the Draft Rehabilitation and Resettlement Scheme cannot be treated as compliance with the mandatory requirements under Sections 15(2) and 15(3), which specifically deal with objections to the acquisition notification, the suitability of the land proposed for acquisition, justification for the public purpose, and findings of the Social Impact Assessment Report.
Drawing attention to the recent judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Dinesh & Others vs. State of Madhya Pradesh & Others (Judgment dated 15 May 2024), Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray noted that the Court has held compliance with Sections 15(2) and 15(3) of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013 to be mandatory, and that non-compliance would invalidate the acquisition proceedings.
In view of the above, the Member of Parliament has requested the Deputy Commissioner to furnish, before finalising the date of the R&R Committee meeting, the complete list of objections and representations received under Section 15, copies of hearing notices and proceedings, the Collector’s report under Section 15(2), the Government’s decision under Section 15(3), clarification on any pending objections, Annexure-V to the Section 16(6) report containing point-wise analysis and disposal of objections, and copies of the revised Draft R&R Scheme, final list of affected families, field census report, Social Impact Assessment Report, Expert Group Report and the Rule 4 preliminary enquiry report, wherever not already supplied.
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray clarified that he is not opposed to the development of Great Nicobar Island. However, considering the scale of displacement and the sensitivity of the project, he emphasised that the acquisition proceedings must be legally sound, transparent and procedurally complete. He cautioned that any haste without strict compliance with the mandatory provisions of Section 15 could result in avoidable litigation, delays and uncertainty, ultimately jeopardising the acquisition process itself.
The Member of Parliament has therefore requested that all mandatory legal requirements under Section 15 be completed and the relevant records furnished before the R&R Committee meeting is finalised, enabling informed deliberations on the matter in accordance with law.
