By: The Trek News Desk
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday (February 16, 2026) approved the proposed mega infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island, dismissing petitions that had challenged the environmental clearances granted to it. The tribunal observed that, given the “strategic importance” of the project, there were no sufficient grounds for judicial interference.
The ambitious project, estimated at around ₹92,000 crore, envisions the development of a transhipment port, an international airport, a township, and a power plant. The plan covers over 160 square kilometres, of which nearly 130 square kilometres comprise forest land. This region is traditionally inhabited by the Nicobarese and Shompen tribal communities, with the Shompen recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
While the NGT has concluded hearings related to environmental approvals, challenges concerning forest clearances are currently pending before the Calcutta High Court. The High Court has scheduled the matter for final hearing in the week commencing March 30.
Earlier in October 2025, the Union Government defended the project before the tribunal, stating that extensive conservation and monitoring mechanisms would be implemented over a 30-year period alongside its phased development. Representing the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati had emphasised that leading scientific expertise would guide environmental mitigation, research, and long-term oversight, describing the initiative as a potential “national asset.”
Despite official assurances, the project has drawn criticism from environmental experts and civil society members. In 2025, over 70 scholars, former bureaucrats, activists, and environmentalists addressed an open letter to the environment minister, urging a reconsideration of the project’s possible “serious and irreversible” ecological consequences.
Reports have also suggested that certain members of the Tribal Councils in Little and Great Nicobar alleged pressure from the district administration to relinquish ancestral lands for the project. Key components of the development are proposed in areas such as Galathea Bay, Pemmaya Bay, and Nanjappa Bay, forest regions where indigenous Nicobarese communities have resided since before the 2004 tsunami.
While the Great Nicobar project is being projected as strategically and economically significant for the country, concerns over environmental sustainability and tribal rights have intensified the national debate surrounding its implementation.
Source: News Agencies
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