Great Nicobar Island Development Project: Calls for transparency amidst strategic and environmental concerns
The Great Nicobar Island Development Project, estimated at ₹91,000 crore, faces scrutiny for its strategic rationale and environmental impact. Initially justified as a national security strategy, the Public Investment Board (PIB) found the transshipment port at Galathea Bay 'lacked strategic objectives' in August 2024. The project, including a port, international airport, power plant, and township, threatens vast tracts of tropical rainforest, rare ecological reefs, and nesting beaches of endangered species like the leatherback turtle. Indigenous inhabitants also object, citing lack of full disclosure and concerns over ancestral land. Critics demand transparency, including the release of the High-Powered Committee report and an open account of true costs versus irreversible environmental loss.
Key Points
- The Great Nicobar Island Development Project, costing ₹91,000 crore, is criticized for its questionable strategic justification and severe environmental impact.
- The Public Investment Board (PIB) in August 2024 found the transshipment port component to lack strategic objectives, contradicting the government's national security claims.
- The project threatens critical ecosystems, including tropical rainforests, rare ecological reefs, and nesting sites of endangered species like the leatherback turtle and Nicobar megapode.
- Indigenous communities on the island have raised objections, alleging a lack of full disclosure and concerns regarding their ancestral land and resettlement.
- Calls for transparency include releasing the High-Powered Committee report and openly accounting for the project's true costs against irreversible environmental damage.
Exam Facts
- The Great Nicobar Island Development Project is estimated to cost ₹91,000 crore.
- The transshipment port is planned at Galathea Bay.
- The Public Investment Board (PIB) is a Finance Ministry body.
- The project threatens the habitat of the leatherback turtle and the endemic Nicobar megapode.
- The island is part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.
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