Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday renewed his criticism of the proposed Great Nicobar Island development project, saying he had sent a fresh communication to union Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav as part of an ongoing exchange over what he described as the project’s potentially severe environmental consequences.
In a post on X, Ramesh said that for the past two years he and the Environment Minister had been engaged in a “running exchange of communications” on the ambitious infrastructure project planned for Great Nicobar Island.
While reiterating his opposition to the project, he remarked that “ecological havoc is assured,” but added that the continued correspondence reflected the existence of “democratic windows of engagement” that offered some hope.
“For the past two years, the present Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change and I have been having a running exchange of communications on the Great Nicobar Island Project. While ecological havoc is assured, it is somewhat reassuring that democratic windows of engagement — howsoever ritualistic — still exist and provide some hope. Here is my latest reply to him,” Ramesh wrote.
The Congress leader has been among the most vocal critics of the multi-billion-dollar Great Nicobar Island project, which envisages the construction of a transshipment port, an international airport, a power plant and a township aimed at boosting India’s strategic and economic presence in the Indian Ocean region. The project has been projected by the Centre as a key component of India’s maritime and national security strategy, given the island’s proximity to crucial international shipping routes.
Environmental groups, conservationists and several experts, however, have raised concerns over the project’s impact on the island’s fragile ecosystem, including large-scale diversion of forest land, loss of biodiversity and potential threats to indigenous communities such as the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes. Critics have argued that the project could lead to irreversible ecological damage in one of India’s most biodiverse regions.
The Centre has maintained that all statutory environmental and forest clearances have been granted after due consideration and that adequate safeguards are being incorporated to mitigate ecological impacts. Government officials have also emphasized the strategic significance of the project, particularly in the context of growing geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific region.
Ramesh’s latest intervention comes amid continuing debates over balancing infrastructure development and national security imperatives with environmental conservation. The former Environment Minister has repeatedly sought greater transparency and independent scientific scrutiny of the project, arguing that the long-term ecological costs could outweigh the anticipated economic and strategic benefits.
The fresh exchange is expected to keep the spotlight on the contentious project, which has emerged as one of the most debated environmental issues in recent years, drawing attention from policymakers, scientists, environmental activists and strategic affairs experts alike.
