The Great Nicobar Island project, a ₹92,000‑crore development on the Andaman archipelago, aims to build a transhipment port at Galathea Bay and expand military infrastructure. The cost was raised from an earlier estimate of ₹72,000 crore when the government sought fresh environmental clearances.
Five petitions lodged by citizens and civil‑society groups allege breaches of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and threaten the rights of indigenous communities. A former senior official of the Union Environment Ministry filed the first petition, challenging the project’s ecological impact.
The centre’s petition before the Supreme Court seeks to stay all proceedings in the Calcutta High Court, arguing that the project’s approvals were flawed. Ramesh called the move a "bulldozing through environmental safeguards" and warned that the court’s decision could derail the project’s timeline.
Ramesh has engaged four Union ministers, urging Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to reconsider the runway expansion at INS Baaz and Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram to enforce the Forest Rights Act. "We are witnessing an unfolding catastrophe," he told reporters.
The Supreme Court is slated to hear the stay petition on October 5, 2026, with a decision expected within weeks. A ruling in favor of the stay could stall the project’s construction and compel a reassessment of its environmental clearance.
For the local Adivasi community, the project threatens coral reefs that sustain their fishing livelihood. A fisherman from the nearby village said, "We’ve seen the reefs degrading, and every new pier could be our last catch."