NGT Upholds Environmental Nod For Great Nicobar Project

A six-member special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday declined to interfere with the environmental clearance granted to the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project. NGT stated it found no good ground for non-clearance and that adequate safeguards were built into the approval.

Upholding The 2022 Environmental Clearance

The bench, headed by NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, upheld the 2022 environmental clearance and disposed of a batch of petitions challenging the project.

The tribunal also referred to the project’s strategic importance and the findings of a high-powered committee that had revisited the clearance following a 2023 NGT order. The order removes a key legal hurdle for one of India’s most ambitious infrastructure plans in the Bay of Bengal.

Scale Of The Project

The Great Nicobar project spans 166 square kilometres. It involves the diversion of around 130 square kilometres of forest land and the felling of nearly one million trees. Key components include:

• An International Container Transshipment Port (ICTP) at Galathea Bay.

• An integrated township.

• A civil and military airport.

• A 450-MVA gas and solar-based power plant.

Notably, the scale of forest diversion and the potential impact on biodiversity had drawn sharp criticism from environmental groups and sections of civil society.

The Centre, however, had continued to push the project. This, even as members of the Nicobarese community raised concerns over the dispossession of ancestral lands. These lands were severely affected during the 2004 tsunami.

Environmental Safeguards Noted

In its order, the NGT recorded that specific conditions had been imposed in the environmental clearance to protect vulnerable species on the island. These include:

• Leatherback sea turtles

• Nicobar megapode

• Saltwater crocodiles

• Robber crabs

• Nicobar macaques

• Endemic bird species

Project's Strategic Importance

The tribunal’s reference to the project’s strategic importance is in line with the Centre’s stated objectives. Note that the project’s pre-feasibility report in March 2021 had cited national security and consolidation of India’s position in the Indian Ocean region as core drivers. The proposed transshipment port sits close to one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.

Timeline And Economic Implications

The first phase of the port is expected to be operational by 2028. Once functional, the facility is expected to handle large container vessels.

It is also expected to capture a share of transshipment traffic currently routed through overseas ports. The dual-use airport infrastructure and power generation capacity show both commercial and strategic dimensions.

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What It Means For The Logistics Sector And India?

The tribunal’s decision reduces regulatory risk around one of India’s largest planned maritime infrastructure projects. For the ports and logistics sector, it shows policy continuity and government backing for capacity expansion in strategically located regions.

Companies involved in port development, construction, and allied infrastructure may look at project tenders and timelines more closely. The ruling may also shape future debates on balancing ecological safeguards with large-scale infrastructure expansion in sensitive zones.

For India, the clearance strengthens plans to build deeper maritime capacity at a time when supply chains are shifting. The outcome ties infrastructure growth with strategic positioning in the Indian Ocean.

Sources:

Economic Times

Indian Express

The Times of India