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The National Green Tribunal has upheld environmental clearances for the ₹92,000 crore Great Nicobar Island mega project, citing its strategic importance. While the Centre defends it as a national asset with long-term conservation plans, environmentalists and tribal groups raise concerns over ecological damage and displacement.
Tribunal Upholds Environmental Clearance (Image Source: Internet)
New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) dismissed petitions challenging the environmental approvals granted to the ambitious Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure project. The Tribunal observed that the project holds significant strategic value for the country and stated that it found no valid reason to intervene in the environmental clearances already issued. With this decision, a major legal hurdle for the ₹92,000 crore development initiative has been removed.
The large-scale project aims to transform Great Nicobar Island through the construction of a transshipment port, an international airport, a township, and a power plant. The development will span over 160 square kilometers, of which nearly 130 square kilometers comprise forest land.
These forests are home to indigenous communities, including the Nicobarese and the Shompen tribes. The Shompen are officially classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), highlighting their fragile socio-economic and cultural status.
Experts estimate that the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project could cost between ₹81,000 crore and ₹92,000 crore.
While the NGT has ruled on the environmental clearances, the legal challenge to the forest clearances is still pending before the Calcutta High Court. The High Court has scheduled the matter for final hearing in the week beginning March 30, 2026.
The Union Government has strongly defended the project, arguing that it will be developed with strict environmental safeguards. During earlier hearings in October 2025, the government informed the NGT that long-term conservation and monitoring mechanisms have been mandated for the next 30 years.
It emphasized that top scientific expertise would guide research, mitigation measures, and sustainable development throughout the project’s lifespan. Officials described the project as a future “national asset” with strategic and economic benefits.
Despite official assurances, the project has faced sharp criticism from environmentalists and scholars. Over 70 experts, including former bureaucrats and activists, had written to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in 2025, urging him to reconsider the project. They warned that the development could cause “grave and irreversible” environmental damage.
Reports have also highlighted concerns from the Nicobar Tribal Council. Members have alleged pressure from local authorities to sign “surrender certificates” relinquishing ancestral lands. Portions of the project in areas such as Galathea Bay, Pemmaya Bay, and Nanjappa Bay involve diverting forest land traditionally inhabited by indigenous communities, including those resettled after the 2004 tsunami.
