NITI Aayog’s Project in Great Nicobar

Recently, the opposition party and conservationists have labelled the proposed Rs 72,000-crore infrastructure development on Great Nicobar Island as a “grave threat” to both the indigenous inhabitants and the island’s fragile ecosystem.

Great Nicobar Island Project

• About: Launched in 2021, the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) project is a significant development initiative located at the southern tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 
  • This mega project encompasses the construction of a trans-shipment port, an international airport, the development of a township, and the establishment of a 450 MVA gas and solar-based power plant on the island.
• NITI Aayog Report: The project was launched following a NITI Aayog report that highlighted the potential to leverage the island’s strategic location, which is roughly equidistant from Colombo in Sri Lanka to the southwest, and Port Klang in Malaysia and Singapore to the southeast.
• Features of the Project: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) is implementing this mega infrastructure project, which includes a proposed International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT) and a greenfield international airport.
  • The port will be under the jurisdiction of the Indian Navy, while the airport will serve both military and civilian purposes, including tourism.

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Reasons to Develop Great Nicobar

• Strategic Maritime Hub: Located near the Malacca Strait, the primary waterway linking the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, the ICTT is poised to enable Great Nicobar to engage in the regional and global maritime economy, becoming a key player in cargo transshipment. 
  • The proposed site for the ICTT and power plant is Galathea Bay, in the southeastern corner of Great Nicobar Island, an area devoid of human habitation.
• Enhancing Military Capabilities: The upgrade aims to accommodate additional military forces, larger warships, aircraft, missile batteries, and troops. Ensuring close surveillance around the archipelago and establishing a robust military presence on Great Nicobar is crucial for India’s national security.
• Strategic Location: Situated near the Malacca Strait, the key waterway linking the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, the ICTT is expected to enable Great Nicobar to become a significant player in the regional and global maritime economy through cargo transshipment.
  • The Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean regions hold paramount strategic and security importance for India, given the efforts by the Chinese military (the People’s Liberation Army Navy) to enhance its presence and influence across this area.
• Naval Security Concerns: India is notably focused on the potential buildup of Chinese naval forces at critical chokepoints in the Indo-Pacific, including the Malacca, Sunda, and Lombok Straits. 
  • Moreover, China seeks to strengthen its presence in the region by establishing a military facility on the Coco Islands, situated just 55 km north of India’s Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
  • This is a significant concern for India, given the strategic importance of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for its maritime security in the region
• Addressing Challenges: The island serves as a natural stronghold for India to address significant issues in the Indian Ocean region such as piracy, smuggling, securing sea lines of communication, and critically, dealing with intrusions by Chinese ships.
• Boosting the Blue Economy: The project aims to establish an economic hub in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, thereby catalysing growth in the Blue Economy. Additionally, it seeks to develop a free trade zone, curb round-tripping, and promote the area as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Great Nicobar Island

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise 836 islands, categorized into two groups: the Andaman Islands in the north and the Nicobar Islands in the south. These groups are separated by the 10° Channel, which spans a width of 150 kilometers.
• Location:  Great Nicobar  Island is located at the southern end of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, stretching from Ranganatha Bay on its eastern coast southward to Galathea Bay, around Indira Point, and extending to Pemayya Bay.
• Strategic Significance: Positioned equidistantly between Colombo to the southwest and Port Klang and Singapore to the southeast, Great Nicobar Island is strategically situated near the East-West international shipping corridor.
• Inhabitants: The island is home to two Mongoloid tribes: the Shompen and the Nicobarese.
• Majority Settlers: The majority on Great Nicobar comprises people who settled on the island from mainland India. Between 1968 and 1975, the Indian government settled retired military servicemen and their families from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, among a few others
• Flora and Fauna Diversity: The island features tropical wet evergreen forests and hosts a variety of wildlife, including 14 mammal species, 71 bird species, 26 reptile species, 10 amphibian species, and 113 fish species. 
  • The leatherback sea turtle is particularly emblematic of the island’s biodiversity.

Opposition Related to the Great Nicobar Island Project

• Effect on Indigenous Tribes: The Shompen and Nicobarese, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of hunter-gatherers, number only a few hundred individuals and reside in a tribal reserve on the island.
  • There are significant concerns that the proposed infrastructure upgrade could severely impact the Shompen tribe and their traditional way of life, deeply intertwined with the island’s natural environment.
• Violation of Forest Rights: Furthermore, the project contradicts the principles outlined in the Forest Rights Act (2006), which designates the Shompen as the sole legally authorized body responsible for protecting, conserving, regulating, and managing the tribal reserve.
• Ecological Impact: The project will heavily impact the island’s ecology through the clearance of nearly a million trees. Concerns include potential coral reef destruction due to port development, impacting the local marine ecosystem. 
  • There are also risks to terrestrial species such as the Nicobar Megapode bird and nesting leatherback turtles in Galathea Bay. This area comprises about 15% of Great Nicobar Island and is one of India’s largest forest diversions within a globally and nationally unique rainforest ecosystem.
• Seismic Risks:  The proposed port is situated in a region prone to seismic activity, where the area experienced permanent subsidence of approximately 15 feet during the 2004 tsunami.
  • This raises significant concerns regarding the safety and feasibility of constructing a large-scale infrastructure project in such a high-risk, disaster-prone zone.
• Consultation issues: The local administration is accused of insufficient consultation with the Tribal Council of Great and Little Nicobar Islands, as required by law.
  • In April 2023, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) chose not to interfere with the environmental and forest clearances issued for the project.
  • Instead, the Tribunal instructed the establishment of a high-power committee to reassess these clearances.

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