Great Nicobar Mega Project: Jairam Ramesh Questions Environmental Clearance Process, Raises Biodiversity Concerns

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday once again intensified the debate surrounding the controversial Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project, releasing details of a fresh three-page letter addressed to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and warning that the project could trigger irreversible ecological damage in one of India's most fragile island ecosystems and accusing the Union government of bypassing comprehensive environmental assessment norms.

Sharing the development through a post on X, Jairam Ramesh said that for the past two years he had maintained a ''continuous dialogue and correspondence'' with the Environment Ministry over the proposed project in Great Nicobar Island.

"While ecological devastation appears almost inevitable, it is somewhat reassuring that democratic avenues of engagement - however ritualistic - still exist and offer some hope," Ramesh wrote while posting his latest response to the minister.

The Congress leader's remarks come amid continuing political and environmental controversy over the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar development project, which the Union government has projected as a strategic transshipment, infrastructure and defence hub in the Indian Ocean region.

Questions Over Environmental Studies

The Congress leader questioned the basis on which environmental clearance was granted to the project, claiming that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) relied only on limited seasonal data rather than comprehensive multi-season scientific studies mandated for ecologically sensitive island regions.

"I am so glad you have admitted that the environmental clearance was not based on comprehensive EIA studies," Ramesh wrote in his response to the minister. He alleged that several reports cited by the government were based on surveys conducted only over "a few weeks," adding that secondary historical data cannot substitute project-specific primary studies.

Ramesh also referred to earlier observations made by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), noting that the tribunal had recorded ''unanswered deficiencies'' in the clearance process and had sought re-examination of certain aspects of the project. He further cited an ISRO Space Applications Centre report that reportedly identified stretches of Galathea Bay as erosion-prone.

Under the Island Coastal Regulation norms, ports are restricted in high-erosion zones. Ramesh argued that the findings made it necessary to undertake comprehensive environmental studies covering multiple seasons before proceeding further.

The Congress leader further questioned why the report of a High-Powered Committee submitted to the NGT in a sealed cover had not been made public despite key project documents already being available in the public domain.

Strategic Project or Commercial Venture?

The Congress MP further accused the Union government of increasingly shifting its justification for the project from developmental arguments to national security and strategic considerations.

According to him, the project "as presently conceived" is "overwhelmingly an enterprise" in character despite repeated emphasis on its strategic value.

Jairam Ramesh maintained that India's defence interests in the region could be strengthened through expansion of existing facilities such as INS Baaz, the southernmost military air station in Campbell Bay, rather than through massive ecological transformation of Great Nicobar Island.

Sharing excerpts of the correspondence in Hindi on X, Ramesh said that for the past two years he has maintained a “continuous dialogue and correspondence” with the Ministry regarding the project. While expressing concern that “ecological devastation appears almost inevitable,” he remarked that democratic avenues of engagement “still exist and offer some glimmer of hope.”

Mega Project Under Scrutiny

The Great Nicobar project, one of the Centre's most ambitious infrastructure initiatives, aims to transform the strategically located island into a major transshipment and defence hub near the busy East-West international shipping route. The project includes a large international container transshipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, power plant and an integrated township spread across the island.

While the government and supporters of the project have highlighted its strategic significance for India’s maritime and defence interests in the Indo-Pacific region, critics, tribal rights, environmental groups and opposition leaders have repeatedly raised concerns over large-scale deforestation, impact on coastal ecology, indigenous communities and biodiversity linked to the project.

Jairam Ramesh also cited findings reportedly linked to the ISRO Space Applications Centre indicating erosion-prone stretches near Galathea Bay, arguing that the ecological sensitivity of the region demands far more rigorous scrutiny.

Union Government Yet to Respond

The Union government, however, has consistently defended the Great Nicobar project as of national importance, stating that it would reduce India’s dependence on foreign transshipment ports while simultaneously enhancing national security capabilities in the Andaman and Nicobar region.

The debate over the Great Nicobar project has emerged as one of the country’s most closely watched confrontations between infrastructure expansion and environmental conservation, with questions continuing over the balance between strategic development and ecological sustainability.

The project remains one of India's most debated infrastructure ventures, balancing strategic ambitions and economic expansion against concerns over biodiversity, indigenous communities and long-term ecological sustainability in one of the country’s most fragile island ecosystems.

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