Sri Vijaya Puram | January 18, 2026
Tarun Karthick
The Dependents and Ex-Servicemen Forum for Equitable Negotiation, Compensation & Entitlements – Great Nicobar Island (DEF-GNI) has raised strong objections to the minimum circle rates fixed for villages under Campbell Bay Tehsil, Nicobar District, terming them unreasonably low and unjust. In a detailed representation dated January 14, 2026, the forum has urged the Union Government and the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to revise the rates before finalising the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package for land acquisition linked to the Great Nicobar Greenfield International Airport Project.
Addressing the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, DEF-GNI stated that it represents Ex-Servicemen settler families and residents of villages under Gram Panchayat Laxmi Nagar, the southernmost Panchayat of India in Campbell Bay Tehsil. While reiterating its support for strategic and infrastructure development in Great Nicobar Island, the forum emphasised that development should not compromise fairness and justice for Ex-Servicemen families who have lived and safeguarded the region for decades.
The forum pointed out that land belonging to Ex-Servicemen settler families in Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar villages is currently being acquired for the proposed international airport. It explained that compensation under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act) is directly linked to the notified minimum circle rates under the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, as these rates form a key basis for determining the value of the land.
DEF-GNI recalled that minimum reference circle rates were earlier fixed in October 2019 but were subsequently quashed by the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court (Circuit Bench at Port Blair) in May 2024, which held that the notifications were issued beyond the competence of the Lieutenant Governor. Following this, a fresh notification was issued in November 2024 fixing minimum circle rates across the Union Territory.
According to the forum, despite the Great Nicobar Island Project having reached an advanced and publicly acknowledged stage by 2024, the Administration retained the same circle rates for villages under Campbell Bay Tehsil as those fixed in 2019. The rates notified include ₹131 per sq. metre for Gandhi Nagar and ₹113 per sq. metre for Shastri Nagar, with no upward revision, except for the inclusion of Campbell Bay village at ₹180 per sq. metre.
DEF-GNI described this retention of outdated rates as arbitrary, stating that it can suppresses land compensation and is disconnected from present market realities. The forum highlighted that, in the same 2024 notification, significantly higher rates were notified for other islands such as Viper Island and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island at ₹20,500 per sq. metre, and Avis Island at ₹11,370 per sq. metre, where major tourism projects are anticipated.
Terming the valuation of Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar as “irrational and deeply unjust,” DEF-GNI said the low rates would cause immense financial loss to Ex-Servicemen settler families who were settled in Great Nicobar Island from 1969 onwards. The forum noted that more than four generations of these families now face land acquisition with compensation that does not reflect their long-standing sacrifices and service.
In its demand, DEF-GNI has sought revision of the minimum circle rates for Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar villages prior to the finalisation of the draft R&R package. The forum has requested that rates be fixed in a manner that ensures a minimum compensation of not less than ₹1 crore per acre of agricultural land to affected landowners.
The representation has been signed by DEF-GNI President Mr. E. S. Rajesh and copies have been marked to the Member of Parliament from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Chief Secretary of the UT Administration, the Deputy Commissioner of Nicobar District and the Assistant Commissioner, Campbell Bay. The forum has also appealed to the State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to take up the matter with the Government of India in the interest of justice for Ex-Servicemen settler families of Great Nicobar Island.
