Great Nicobar Island, India’s southernmost territory, represents one of the country’s last largely untouched ecological frontiers. Rich in tropical rainforests, coral ecosystems, and indigenous cultures, the island is home to the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes. This fragile equilibrium is now poised for a dramatic shift with the Union government’s approval of a ₹72,000-crore mega infrastructure project that aims to transform the island into a global transshipment and defence hub — a move that has triggered serious environmental, social, and legal concerns.
What is the Great Nicobar mega project?
Officially called the ‘Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island’, the project is being driven by and implemented through the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation. It proposes large-scale infrastructure development over about 166 sq. km, nearly 18% of the island’s total land area.
The plan envisions an integrated city-region combining civilian, commercial, and military infrastructure. Its core components include an international container transshipment terminal, a dual-use greenfield airport, a large township, and a 450-MVA gas-and-solar-based power plant.
Why Galathea Bay is central to the plan
The centrepiece of the project is the International Container Transshipment Terminal at Galathea Bay. Owing to its natural depth, the bay can accommodate ultra-large container vessels that currently dock at ports such as Colombo, Singapore, and Port Klang. The government estimates that the terminal could eventually handle over 14 million TEUs annually, allowing India to retain transshipment revenue that presently flows to foreign ports.
Strategic and economic rationale
Great Nicobar’s location near the western entrance of the Strait of Malacca gives it immense strategic value. Nearly 40% of global trade and a significant share of China’s energy imports pass through this narrow maritime corridor. From a military perspective, a strong Indian presence here could enhance surveillance and logistical reach in the eastern Indian Ocean.
Economically, the rationale is equally compelling. Around 75% of India’s transshipment cargo is currently handled outside the country, raising logistics costs. A domestic hub at Great Nicobar could reduce these costs and position India as a regional maritime services centre.
Urbanisation and demographic transformation
One of the most transformative aspects of the project is the proposed township. Government projections suggest that the island’s population could rise from about 8,000 today to over 3.5 lakh in the next three decades. This would entail large-scale urbanisation of rainforest areas, with industrial zones, housing, and supporting civic infrastructure fundamentally altering the island’s ecological and social character.
Environmental clearances and concerns over haste
Criticism has largely centred on the speed of approvals. After prepared a pre-feasibility report in 2021, environmental and forest clearances followed rapidly in 2022, including the diversion of over 130 sq. km of forest land. This raised concerns because the project required denotifying parts of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and notified tribal reserves.
Environmentalists have also questioned the Environmental Impact Assessment, which relied on single-season data rather than multi-season studies typically required for projects of this magnitude. Government estimates suggest that nearly one million trees will be felled, threatening endemic species such as the Nicobar megapode and the Nicobar tree shrew.
Marine ecosystems under threat
Galathea Bay is a globally significant nesting site for the giant leatherback turtle. Port construction, dredging, and breakwaters are expected to irreversibly alter beach morphology, effectively eliminating turtle nesting in the area. More than 20,000 coral colonies are also likely to be affected. While coral translocation has been proposed, experts note that survival rates are low and such measures rarely compensate for large-scale habitat loss.
Proposals for compensatory afforestation in distant states like Haryana have been widely criticised, as tropical evergreen rainforest ecosystems cannot be replicated in semi-arid regions.
Impact on indigenous communities
The social consequences of the project are equally contentious. The Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, are semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers with limited immunity to common diseases. Anthropologists warn that large-scale in-migration and construction activity could expose them to epidemics and force them into shrinking forest spaces.
The Nicobarese, while more integrated into mainstream society, face a different form of displacement. Many were relocated from the island’s west coast after the 2004 tsunami with assurances of eventual return. The designation of this coastline for infrastructure effectively denies them the possibility of resettlement on their ancestral lands.
Legal challenges and transparency issues
Under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, diversion of forest land requires informed consent from gram sabhas. Reports indicate that a ‘no objection certificate’ issued by the Tribal Council in 2022 was later withdrawn, with allegations that consent was obtained without adequate understanding of the project’s implications.
In 2023, the National Green Tribunal temporarily stayed the project and constituted a high-powered committee to re-examine its clearances. However, the committee’s report was submitted in a sealed cover, after which the project was allowed to proceed. This lack of transparency drew criticism from former civil servants and environmental experts, who argued that public-interest environmental clearances cannot be treated as confidential state matters.
What the Great Nicobar debate signifies
The controversy surrounding Great Nicobar reflects a broader dilemma in India’s development trajectory: balancing strategic and economic ambitions with ecological sustainability and constitutional protections for indigenous communities. The project has become a test case for whether infrastructure-led growth can proceed without irreversible ecological damage and social displacement.
What to note for Prelims?
- Great Nicobar lies close to the Strait of Malacca, a key global shipping chokepoint.
- The project includes a transshipment port, airport, township, and power plant.
- Galathea Bay is a major nesting site for the leatherback turtle.
What to note for Mains?
- Trade-offs between strategic infrastructure development and environmental protection.
- Rights of PVTGs under the Constitution and the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
- Limitations of compensatory afforestation as an ecological safeguard.
- Transparency and judicial oversight in large infrastructure projects.
