Ex-servicemen settler families of Great Nicobar have placed an extensive set of demands before the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Lt. Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, seeking fair rehabilitation and compensation in the wake of land acquisition for the proposed Greenfield International Airport under the Great Nicobar Island Project. The representation, submitted by the Dependents and Ex-Servicemen Forum for Equitable Negotiation, Compensation and Entitlements – Great Nicobar Island (DEF-GNI), outlines concerns of families residing in Shastri Nagar and Gandhi Nagar who are directly affected by the acquisition process. Copies of the representation have also been forwarded to the Chief Secretary, the Deputy Commissioner of Nicobar and the Assistant Commissioner of Campbell Bay.
The Forum recalled that the settlement of ex-servicemen in Great Nicobar began in 1969 as part of a national plan to strengthen India’s presence in the southernmost part of the country. Although the Government of India originally planned to settle 1,000 families, only 330 were eventually relocated due to environmental constraints. According to the representation, these settlers arrived on the remote island with minimal support infrastructure and endured challenging living conditions for decades before receiving basic services that are widely available on the mainland.
With the announcement of multiple major development projects including a transshipment port, power plant, township and the international airport, the Forum stated that the families hoped their hardships would be acknowledged through fair compensation and resettlement. The representation notes that surveys and census activities under Section 16(1) of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, are currently underway, marking the beginning of acquisition proceedings in the two villages.
The Forum has presented nine principal demands, beginning with compensation of at least ₹1 crore per acre or the provision of alternate land within Great Nicobar equivalent in area to what is acquired. It has sought recognition of each descendant of the original ex-servicemen settler, aged 18 or above, as a separate family unit with corresponding eligibility for rehabilitation benefits. The representation also seeks individual allotments of at least 1,000 sq. metres of land in Great Nicobar for every family for residential and livelihood activities such as kitchen gardens and animal husbandry.
Another key demand is the construction of an RCC house for every settler family, designed with specific residential features, or a financial package equivalent to the cost of constructing such a house on the island. The Forum further requested that permanent tsunami shelters allotted over a decade ago be recognised as the legal property of the current occupants and that compensation should include valuation of the land, plantations, structures and improvements made over the years.
For livelihood security, the Forum has sought the establishment of minimum standard values for plantation crops, with compensation revised accordingly and calculated with all eligible benefits. It has also requested that every ex-servicemen settler family be provided one government job in the Andaman and Nicobar Administration or Central Government establishments located in the islands, along with suitable age relaxation. Additional demands include adequate compensation for livestock affected by the acquisition process and the extension of all benefits available under relevant laws and policies to every ex-servicemen settler family.
DEF-GNI described the demands as reasonable and aligned with the community’s long-standing contribution to national service and the development of Great Nicobar. The Forum urged national authorities to ensure that the ongoing rehabilitation framework reflects the settlers’ decades of commitment and the challenges they faced in building lives in one of India’s most remote territories. The representation was signed by the President and General Secretary of DEF-GNI.
