“Ecological Devastation in the Making”: Ramesh Questions Great Nicobar Clearance Process

The proposed Great Nicobar Island Development Project has once again come under sharp scrutiny, with senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh writing to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav alleging serious lapses in the environmental clearance process and warning of irreversible ecological damage.

In his detailed letter, Ramesh claimed that the project would “destroy” the globally unique ecosystem of Great Nicobar , arguing that the environmental studies used for clearance are grossly inadequate and amount to a “mockery of the Environmental Impact Assessment process.”

He said the baseline studies were conducted over a very short period and do not meet mandatory requirements for a comprehensive assessment, especially for a region as ecologically sensitive as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. According to him, proper studies should span multiple seasons to capture ecological variation, which he claims was not done.

Ramesh also questioned the credibility of the compensatory afforestation claims, calling them “completely bogus” , and asserted that even security experts have noted that India’s strategic needs can be met without causing ecological destruction in the region.

Referring to earlier government documents and parliamentary replies, he argued that port related projects in such sensitive zones require strict compliance with environmental norms laid down by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and related coastal regulation frameworks.

The Congress leader also cited observations linked to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) proceedings, pointing to what he described as unresolved deficiencies in the clearance process and concerns over transparency in expert committee reports.

He further questioned why certain reports were being treated as confidential, saying it undermines public accountability and scientific scrutiny in a project of such scale and sensitivity.

The government, meanwhile, has maintained that the project is a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening India’s presence in the Indian Ocean region while ensuring environmental safeguards and protection of indigenous communities.

With political sparring intensifying, the Great Nicobar project is fast becoming a flashpoint in the broader debate between development priorities and ecological conservation.