Transforming Nicobar
The Great Nicobar Island Development Project is a massive ₹81,000–₹92,000 crore infrastructure initiative aimed at transforming India’s southernmost island into a major strategic and economic hub. Strategically located just 90 nautical miles from Indonesia and near the critical Strait of Malacca, the project is designed to enhance national security and capture global maritime trade currently flowing to regional giants like Singapore and Colombo
The Great Nicobar Project is a strategic project which aims to strengthen India’s presence in the Andaman Sea and Southeast Asia. The project seeks to balance port-led growth with calibrated environmental safeguards and protection of indigenous communities. By combining strategic, economic, and ecological priorities, the project seeks to ensure that development in Great Nicobar is sustainable, inclusive, and aligned with national interests.
Core Infrastructure Components
The project, spearheaded by NITI Aayog and implemented by the ANIIDCO, consists of four main pillars:
1. International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT): A deep-sea port at Galathea Bay with an ultimate capacity of 14.2–16 million TEUs.
2. Greenfield International Airport: A dual-use facility (civil and military) with a peak hour capacity of 4,000 passengers.
3. Greenfield Township: A planned urban area expected to house a population of up to 650,000 by 2050.
4. Power Plant: A 450 MVA gas and solar-based hybrid plant to provide reliable energy.
The development follows a sensitive and holistic approach. It considers the needs of indigenous communities and aims to protect the island’s ecological resources. The plan evaluates social, cultural, and environmental impacts carefully and prioritises options that balance environmental, social, and economic goals.
The Great Nicobar Project is being implemented in three distinct phases–
• Phase I (2025–35, 72.12 sq. km),
• Phase II (2036–41, 45.27 sq. km),
• Phase III (2042–47, 48.71 sq. km)
It covers a total area of 166.10 sq. km, which includes 35.35 sq. km of revenue land and 130.75 sq. km of forest land. This phased approach allows for systematic infrastructure development, while ensuring that environmental safeguards and tribal welfare measures are effectively integrated at each stage.
The project’s strategic and economic significance is underscored by the need to position Great Nicobar as a critical node in the Indian Ocean Region. The project ensures optimized land use, coordinated ecological management, and long-term regional benefits, while remaining fully compliant with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations and statutory approvals
Strategic & Economic Significance
• Maritime Dominance: By leveraging its proximity to one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, India aims to reduce its dependence on foreign transshipment ports, which currently handle 75% of Indian transshipment cargo.
• National Security: The project strengthens India’s naval presence in the Indo-Pacific, countering regional threats and monitoring critical sea lanes.
• Economic Growth: According to the central government, the project is expected to create local jobs and boost the island’s GDP through tourism and trade.
Major Concerns and Controversies
Despite receiving clearance from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in February 2026, the project remains highly contentious:
• Ecological Impact: Critics warn it will lead to the felling of nearly one million trees (some estimates suggest up to 5.8 million) and destroy critical habitats for the endemic Nicobar Megapode and Leatherback turtles.
• Tribal Rights: Indigenous groups like the Shompen (a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) and Nicobarese face potential displacement and health risks from a sudden population influx.
• Seismic Risk: The island is in a high-seismic zone; the 2004 tsunami caused parts of the southern tip to sink by 15 feet, raising concerns about the long-term viability of massive infrastructure
However, the Government says that the project underwent “Environmental impact assessment”. Following are noteworthy in this context:
• The project received prior Environmental Clearance under the EIA Notification, 2006 after a detailed process of screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal.
• The Environmental Clearance includes 42 specific conditions covering air, water, noise, waste management, marine ecology, human health and disaster management, with a robust Environment Management Plan (EMP)
• Expert institutions such as Zoological Survey of India (“ZSI”), Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (“SACON”), the Wildlife Institute of India (“WII”), Indian Institute for Science (“IISc”) conducted studies, and the Zoological Survey of India stated that the project can proceed with proper safeguards.
• Three independent Monitoring Committees have been formed to oversee pollution, biodiversity, and the welfare of the Shompen and Nicobarese communities. The Committees are as follows:
(i) Committee to oversee pollution related matters
(ii) Committee to oversee biodiversity related matters
(iii) Committee to oversee welfare and issues related to Shompen and Nicobarese.
• An Overarching Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, to ensure coordinated implementation of EC/CRZ conditions among all stakeholders. It serves as a central mechanism for oversight, monitoring, and inter-institutional coordination.
Before clearance, the project underwent multiple levels of statutory scrutiny, including preparation of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP). The EMP outlines mitigation measures for the construction and operational phases.
The Great Nicobar Project will divert 1.82% of the total forest cover of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The estimated number of trees in this area is 18.65 lakh, though the maximum number expected to be felled is 7.11 lakh within 49.86 sq. km of forest. The tree felling will be carried out in a phased manner in line with the proposed phase-wise development of the key projects. Importantly, 65.99 sq. km of land will be preserved as green zones with no tree felling, ensuring ecological balance. Since the islands already have over 75% forest cover, compensatory afforestation cannot be carried out locally. Instead, afforestation is planned in Haryana, with 97.30 sq. km of land identified to compensate for the Phase I diversion of 48.65 sq. km of forest. Additionally, under ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, 2.4 million trees have been planted in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Tribal Welfare and Social Considerations
Great Nicobar Island is inhabited by the aboriginal Mongoloid tribes, the Shompens (about 237), who are hunter-gatherers, and the Nicobarese (about 1,094), who live in coastal settlements and depend mainly on fishing for survival. The Great Nicobar Project has been carefully designed to ensure that the Nicobarese and Shompen tribes are not displaced. Within the project area, the only tribal habitations are located at New Chingen and Rajiv Nagar, and the administration has explicitly stated that no relocation of tribal communities is proposed.
The Great Nicobar Project is fully aligned with the Shompen Policy of 2015 and the Jarawa Policy of 2004, which mandate that large-scale development proposals prioritize the welfare and integrity of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and follow a structured consultation process. To safeguard tribal interests, an Independent monitoring committee has been mandated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to oversee issues affecting the Shompen and Nicobarese during both construction and operation phases. Consultations have also been conducted with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Directorate of Tribal Welfare, the Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS), and tribal experts including the Anthropological Survey of India to ensure safety, protection and well-being of the communities.
The project implementation framework is aligned with the provisions of Article 338A (9) of the Constitution, with due emphasis on safeguarding the interests of Scheduled Tribes and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in the region. Importantly, the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has undertaken no new policy measures affecting these tribes beyond implementing this development project, ensuring that tribal rights and welfare remain central to the planning process.
Currently, Great Nicobar Island has 751.070 sq. km of land officially marked as Tribal Reserve. Out of the 166.10 sq. km that is proposed for development projects, 84.10 sq. km overlaps with the Tribal Reserve. However, within this portion, 11.032 sq. km has already been settled and used as revenue land since 1972. Consequently, the effectively remaining area measuring 73.07 sq. km is being de-notified for project purposes. To compensate, 76.98 sq. km is being re-notified as tribal reserve, resulting in a net addition of 3.912 sq. km to the tribal reserve. Specifically, in Phase I, only 40.01 sq. km of tribal area is involved in the project, with 11.032 sq. km already under revenue use since 1972.
As regards the current status, the project is moving forward in phases. While the first phase of the port is targeted for completion by 2028, the full development is a long-term vision spanning 30 years. Overall, the project leverages Great Nicobar’s strategic location to strengthen India’s national security, maritime and defence presence in the Indo-Pacific, while simultaneously embedding strong environmental safeguards and tribal welfare mechanisms.
