What's the controversial ₹92,000-cr Great Nicobar project cleared by NGT
What's the story
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday cleared the way for the ₹92,000 crore Great Nicobar Island mega infrastructure project by upholding its environmental clearance granted in 2022. The project, which aims to establish a transshipment and logistics hub in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, was previously criticized by the opposition as "half-baked" and "ill-conceived." However, a six-member special NGT bench found no reason to interfere with its approval, as there were "adequate safeguards" in the project's environmental clearance.
Strategic importance
Project's strategic importance acknowledged by NGT bench
Per India Today, the Great Nicobar Project is envisioned as India's answer to China's Hong Kong, with it being strategically located near crucial sea lanes. It aims to boost trade, attract investment, and project India's maritime power in the Indo-Pacific region. This was acknowledged by the NGT bench, which said, "Given the project's strategic importance, we see no ground to interfere." With that, it disposed of pleas related to the Environmental Clearance (EC) for the project.
Project details
Project involves diverting forest land, cutting down trees
Spread over 166sqkm, the project involves diverting 130sqkm of forest land and cutting down nearly one million trees. Its main components include the International Container Transshipment Port (ICTP) at Galathea Bay, an integrated township, a civil and military airport, and a 450-MVA gas- and solar power-based plant. The ICTP is estimated to cost ₹40,040 crore, with its first phase slated for commissioning by 2028.
Project
Port will initially handle over four million TEUs
The port will initially handle over four million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) annually, ramping up to 16 million TEUs at full capacity. Per ET, foreign port and terminal operators are barred from operating the ICTP; instead, it will be built and run by a joint venture company majority-owned by an Indian private entity. The Centre has pushed ahead with the project despite the Nicobarese community's worries about dispossession of their ancestral land (destroyed by the 2004 tsunami) and ecological damage.
Environmental considerations
No immediate coral formations exist within project area: Tribunal
The NGT examined these allegations and found no part of the project fell in prohibited coastal zones. The tribunal also addressed concerns about coral reefs, concluding that no immediate coral formations exist within the project area. It directed the Union Environment Ministry to ensure that foreshore development must not cause erosion or shoreline changes along the island, emphasizing protection for sandy beaches crucial for nesting species like turtles and birds.
Maritime transformation
Strategic location of Great Nicobar Island
Great Nicobar Island is located roughly 520km from Port Blair, and the port at Galathea Bay sits about 40 nautical miles from the Malacca Strait, a major global trade route. The port's location presents a unique opportunity for India to reclaim transshipped cargo that currently passes through foreign ports like Colombo and Singapore. This could significantly reduce shipping costs and time by allowing large container vessels to dock directly at Great Nicobar instead of these hubs.