Rahul Gandhi on two-day visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands from April 26
Rahul Gandhi is expected to highlight concerns over the Centre's ambitious ₹81,000 crore Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project
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Context
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha has scheduled a visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to highlight concerns regarding the ₹81,000-crore Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project. This ambitious NITI Aayog-conceptualised mega-infrastructure project aims to develop the island strategically and economically but has faced sustained criticism over its severe ecological and social implications. The controversy places India's strategic imperatives in the Indian Ocean directly against its conservation and tribal protection commitments.
UPSC Perspectives
Environmental
The Great Nicobar Island (GNI) is a highly sensitive ecological zone, designated as a since 2013 and falling within the . The ₹81,000 crore development project requires the diversion of significant primary rainforest and risks coastal ecosystems in an area that saw permanent land subsidence during the 2004 tsunami. Key conservation concerns center on the Galathea Bay region, a globally crucial nesting site for the vulnerable Leatherback Sea Turtle, and habitats of endemic species like the Nicobar Megapode and Nicobar Macaque. For UPSC, candidates must understand how this project tests the regulatory limits of the [Island Coastal Regulation Zone] (ICRZ) guidelines and the , raising questions about how the balances "balanced development" with irreversible ecological damage.
Social
The human cost of the project disproportionately falls on the indigenous populations protected under the [Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956]. The island is home to two primary indigenous groups: the Nicobarese (a coastal community displaced by the 2004 tsunami whose ancestral lands overlap with the project) and the Shompen (a semi-nomadic living in voluntary isolation). The massive influx of outsiders expected (projected to reach 6.5 lakh people compared to the current island population of around 8,500) threatens the Shompen with disease exposure and cultural collapse. From a polity perspective, critics have argued that the diversion of tribal reserves occurred without adequate consultation with the (mandated by ) or meaningful, informed consent from the Tribal Council, highlighting a failure of constitutional safeguards.
Economic
The , implemented by the (ANIIDCO), is a four-pronged strategy comprising an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), a dual-use military-civilian international airport, a 450 MVA gas and solar power plant, and a greenfield township. Economically, the Galathea Bay transshipment port aims to handle 16 million TEUs annually, capturing maritime trade currently lost to foreign hubs like Colombo and Singapore. Strategically, the island's location near the Malacca Strait makes it a vital node for India's maritime security architecture and its "Act East Policy", aimed at countering China's naval expansion in the Indian Ocean Region. UPSC Mains questions frequently require candidates to weigh these undeniable geopolitical and economic benefits against the immense environmental and social deficits of the project.