Jairam Ramesh urges Defense Minister to reassess Great Nicobar Island project citing environmental and strategic concerns

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday urged Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to reconsider the controversial Great Nicobar Island Project, arguing that the massive infrastructure plan is being justified on “overriding security considerations” despite being “essentially a commercial venture” that could cause severe ecological damage.

In a statement shared on platform X, Ramesh said he had earlier written to the Union Ministers of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and Tribal Affairs about his concerns and has now sent a detailed letter to the Raksha Mantri questioning the government’s rationale for the development initiative.

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Referring to the government’s May 1, 2026 press note titled “The Great Nicobar Island Project: FAQs,” the Congress leader alleged that the official clarifications presented a “completely false picture” regarding environmental and tribal clearances granted to the project.

“On May 10, 2026, I had written to the Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on how these FAQs present a completely false picture on the project’s environmental clearances which, in reality, have been given on very dubious grounds,” Ramesh said. He added that he had also written on May 13 to the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, alleging that the government had “totally misrepresented” compliance with the provisions of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 during the project’s approval process. According to Ramesh, the clearances “flagrantly violate, in letter and spirit, the individual and collective rights given to tribal communities by Parliament.”

The Congress leader emphasized that while there could be “no two opinions” on the need to strengthen India’s national defense capabilities or project strategic power credibly, the government’s argument that the Great Nicobar Island Project was essential for security purposes required closer scrutiny. “Now I am writing to you since the project, which is essentially a commercial venture and is facing growing public criticism because of the ecological damage it will cause, is being sought to be justified by the Government of India supposedly on overriding security considerations,” he wrote in the letter to Rajnath Singh.

Ramesh pointed to existing defense infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that, according to him, could be expanded with far lower environmental costs than the proposed mega project. He noted that INS Baaz, located in Campbell Bay on Great Nicobar Island, had been commissioned in July 2012, but plans to extend its runway and build a naval jetty had been awaiting approval for nearly five years. “Plans for at least trebling the length of the existing runway and making a naval jetty have been awaiting approval for almost five years. These plans have far less adverse environmental impacts as well,” he said.

He also referred to several long-standing strategic assets under the Andaman and Nicobar Command that could be strengthened instead of pursuing the current project in its present form. “These include INS Kardip, INS Kohassa, INS Utkrosh, INS Jarawa, and the Car Nicobar Air Force Station,” he wrote. The Congress leader further questioned the strategic justification being offered for the transshipment port and township proposed under the Great Nicobar Island Project. “The transshipment port and the township that are an essential part of the Great Nicobar Island Project do not enhance our country’s military capability in any way. Yet, now that suddenly has emerged as a major justification for them,” he said.

The Great Nicobar Island Project, one of the government’s most ambitious infrastructure initiatives, envisages the development of a mega transshipment port, airport, township, and power infrastructure on the ecologically sensitive island located in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. The project has faced criticism from environmentalists, scientists, and tribal rights activists over concerns relating to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and the impact on indigenous communities, including the Shompen tribe.

Reiterating his opposition to the project in its current form, Ramesh warned that the development plan could have irreversible ecological consequences. “Finally, I wish to reiterate that the Great Nicobar Island Project in its present shape and form is a recipe for ecological disaster,” he said.

The Congress leader urged the Defense Minister to seriously examine alternative proposals that, according to him, had also been suggested by distinguished naval officers. “I would urge you, as the nation’s Raksha Mantri, to seriously consider the above alternatives that have, in fact, been proposed by distinguished naval officers themselves in their writings,” Ramesh said.