The National Green Tribunal on Monday declined to interfere with the environmental clearances granted to the ambitious Great Nicobar Project, stating that it found “adequate safeguards” in place and acknowledging the project’s “strategic importance”.
A six-member special bench disposed of petitions challenging the clearance after noting that a court-appointed committee had revisited aspects of the approval process. The tribunal directed authorities and regulatory agencies to ensure “full and strict” compliance with all conditions laid down in the environmental clearance.
The ruling came in response to petitions filed by environmental activist Ashish Kothari, who alleged violations of the 2019 Island Coastal Regulation Zone notification. He had sought the exclusion of several hundred hectares earmarked for infrastructure including a proposed transshipment port, greenfield international airport and defence township arguing that the areas fall within coastal regulation zones where such construction is restricted.
Kothari also contended that the tribunal’s 2023 directive to review the environmental clearance had not been fully implemented, claiming that the committee examined only selected aspects rather than the entire approval process.
However, the tribunal held that the concerns had been addressed and that there were no sufficient grounds to overturn or suspend the clearance.
The Great Nicobar Project proposes to transform 166 square kilometres of land on Great Nicobar Island part of the ecologically sensitive Nicobar Islands into a major infrastructure hub. Plans include new townships, a power plant, a transshipment port and an international airport.
The island lies within the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot and is home to rich rainforests, endemic species and vulnerable tribal communities such as the Shompen and the Nicobarese. Environmentalists have warned that large-scale construction could disrupt fragile ecosystems and affect indigenous populations.
Despite these concerns, the tribunal emphasised the project’s strategic value, particularly in strengthening India’s maritime and defence presence in the region.
With legal challenges now disposed of at the tribunal level, attention is likely to shift to how strictly environmental conditions are enforced as the project moves forward.