Greater Nicobar project a recipe for ecological disaster: Jairam Ramesh

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday (May 17, 2026) wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, objecting to the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, terming it in its current form an “ecological disaster”.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had earlier raised objections to the project on the same grounds.

The Central government has been citing strategic interests as the reason to go ahead with the project, for which Mr. Ramesh has suggested alternative means in his letter to Mr. Singh. Such measures had been proposed by naval officers in their writings, and could help improve the country’s defence without much damage to the area’s ecology, Mr. Ramesh said.

“Let me straightaway say that there can be no two opinions on the need to strengthen our nation’s defences. There can also be no two opinions on the need to project India’s strategic capabilities in a credible manner,” he said.

“Even so, I submit the following for your consideration. First, INS Baaz located in Campbell Bay on the Great Nicobar Island was commissioned in July 2012. But plans for at least trebling the length of the existing runway and making a naval jetty have been awaiting approval for almost five years. These plans have far less adverse environmental impacts as well,” Mr. Ramesh wrote.

Secondly, assets of the Andaman and Nicobar Command created many years ago could be expanded with far fewer environmental costs, including INS Kardip, INS Kohassa, INS Utkrosh, INS Jarawa, and the Car Nicobar Air Force Station, he said.

“Third, the transhipment port and the township that are an essential part of the Great Nicobar Island Project do not enhance our country’s military capability in any way. Yet, now that suddenly has emerged as a major justification for them,” he wrote, adding the present shape and plan of the project was a “recipe for ecological disaster”.