India, June 20 -- The Trunk Infrastructure Road that will cut through Great Nicobar Island (GNI) and connect all villages on it, will lead to large scale employment, facilitate business and also make "unconnected areas on the route prosper," the draft social impact assessment (SIA) study for the project claimed.

The draft, published on A&N administration's Directorate of Social Welfare website this week added that a large number of trees will need to be felled for the road and that tribal populations of Shompen and Nicobarese have agreed to land diversion for the road.

"As per the project report, there was no alternative location for the proposed Trunk Infrastructure Road Project which would involve less land acquisition," the draft SIA...