The Great Nicobar Island Development Project has sparked a heated debate in India, with the Congress party warning of ecological and tribal risks, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defending it as vital for the country’s maritime security. The project, estimated to cost ₹72,000-75,000 crore, involves building a transhipment port, a dual-use international airport, power plants, new townships, and tourism facilities on the remote island. The Congress has strongly opposed the project, with leader Sonia Gandhi describing it as a “planned misadventure” that endangers the fragile ecosystem and tribal communities.
The Opposition has highlighted the threat to the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes, as well as the diversion of over 130 square kilometers of pristine forest and the felling of nearly a million trees. The BJP, on the other hand, has defended the project, emphasizing the island’s strategic importance in the Indo-Pacific region. The party argues that the island’s location near the Malacca Strait, a vital maritime trade route, makes it a critical asset for India’s naval capabilities and power projection.
The project has become a political flashpoint, with the Congress warning that the survival of the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes is at stake, and the BJP framing it as essential for securing India’s maritime future in the face of China’s rise. The island’s location, just north of the Malacca Strait, gives India a commanding position to monitor maritime traffic, and the project is seen as a way to boost India’s maritime reach and reduce dependence on foreign ports.
However, critics argue that the ecological costs of the project are too high, and that the promise of replicating Singapore-style economic hubs in such a remote location may not be realistic. They contend that defense infrastructure can be strengthened without uprooting fragile ecosystems or endangering vulnerable tribal populations. The project has also raised concerns about the impact on the uncontacted indigenous tribe, with 39 experts warning that the tribe will face genocide if the plan goes ahead. The debate highlights the challenges of balancing economic development with environmental and social concerns in India.