The Nicobarese Tribal Council has formally voiced strong opposition to the Union Government’s proposal for three new wildlife sanctuaries on Little Nicobar, Meroe, and Menchal islands. The sanctuaries, aimed at protecting leatherback turtles and megapodes, are seen by the Council .
as an encroachment on ancestral lands and traditional ritual hunting grounds. Leaders claim they were not consulted before the decision, sparking a debate between environmental mitigation for the Great Nicobar Project and the preservation of indigenous forest rights and spiritual heritage
