New Delhi: The Congress has criticised the Centre’s decision to approach the Supreme Court in connection with legal proceedings concerning the ₹92,000-crore Great Nicobar Island project. The party has questioned the government’s move to seek a pause in proceedings before the Calcutta High Court, where petitions challenging aspects of the project are being heard.

The proposed project seeks to develop Great Nicobar Island into a major maritime and economic hub. It includes an international container transshipment terminal, an airport, a power plant and a new township.

The controversy centres on environmental clearances, forest diversion and the rights and interests of indigenous communities living on the island.

Congress questions Centre’s Supreme Court move

The Congress has described the Centre’s decision to approach the Supreme Court as a reversal of its earlier position in the legal dispute. The party has alleged that the project raises concerns related to environmental protection and forest rights.

The Centre, however, has previously defended the Great Nicobar project as a strategically important national initiative. The government has said the project is intended to strengthen India’s maritime presence, improve connectivity and create an economic hub in the Andaman Sea.

The Union Environment Ministry has also maintained that environmental safeguards and tribal welfare provisions have been incorporated into the project.

The dispute is therefore playing out on both environmental and strategic grounds, with the government emphasising infrastructure and national interests while opponents have raised concerns over ecological and indigenous-community impacts.

What is the Great Nicobar project?

The Great Nicobar project is a large infrastructure programme planned around Campbell Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

According to the government’s earlier explanation, its major components include an International Container Transshipment Terminal with a proposed capacity of 14.2 million TEUs, a greenfield international airport, a 450 MVA gas- and solar-based power plant and a planned township covering more than 16,610 hectares.

The government has argued that Great Nicobar’s location, around 40 nautical miles from the international East-West shipping route, gives it strategic and commercial significance.

The proposed port is expected to support transshipment activity and improve India’s position along important maritime trade routes.

Government says environmental safeguards are in place

The Centre has previously rejected criticism that the project disregards environmental concerns.

In a detailed clarification issued in May 2026, the Environment Ministry said the project had received environmental clearance under the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, with 42 specific compliance conditions covering areas including pollution control, biodiversity conservation, waste management and disaster preparedness.

The government said the project would involve diversion of 49.86 sq km of forest land, while estimating that around 7.11 lakh trees could be felled in phases.

It also said the project would divert only around 1.82 per cent of the total forest cover of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

These figures and safeguards are part of the government’s stated position and remain central to the wider debate over the project’s environmental impact.

Tribal rights among key concerns

Great Nicobar is home to indigenous communities, including the Shompen, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, and the Nicobarese community.

The government has said no Shompen or Nicobarese habitations will be displaced as a result of the project. It has also said measures have been taken to protect tribal interests and that the notified tribal reserve area would see a net increase following re-notification.

Opponents of the project have nevertheless raised concerns about the potential impact of large-scale infrastructure development on the island’s forests, biodiversity and indigenous communities.

The legal proceedings will examine the issues raised by petitioners and the responses filed by the authorities.

Why the project is strategically important

The Centre has repeatedly highlighted the strategic location of Great Nicobar.

The island lies close to important international shipping routes in the Indian Ocean region, giving the proposed transshipment terminal potential significance for India’s maritime trade and logistics network.

The government has also linked the project to India’s wider presence in the Andaman Sea and its connectivity with Southeast Asia.

The proposed airport and power infrastructure are intended to support the wider development of the island alongside the port and township.

The strategic rationale has been one of the principal arguments advanced by the government in response to criticism of the project.

Supreme Court proceedings add another legal dimension

The Centre’s decision to move the Supreme Court has added another layer to the ongoing legal dispute.

The Congress has questioned why the government is seeking intervention from the apex court while proceedings challenging the project are before the Calcutta High Court. The party has framed the move as evidence of a change in the government’s approach to the litigation.

The legal proceedings will determine the scope of the challenges and how the various environmental and administrative questions are to be considered.

The political debate, meanwhile, is likely to continue alongside the court proceedings, particularly over forest diversion, biodiversity protection, tribal rights and the project’s strategic and economic objectives.

Great Nicobar project remains under scrutiny

The proposed ₹92,000-crore development has emerged as one of India’s most significant infrastructure projects in an ecologically sensitive island region.

The government maintains that the project can combine strategic and economic development with environmental safeguards and protection of indigenous communities. Congress and other critics have raised objections over its environmental and social consequences.

The latest Supreme Court move has brought those competing positions back into focus. The outcome of the legal proceedings will determine the next stage of the project, while the broader debate over development and conservation in Great Nicobar is expected to continue.