NGT Clears Great Nicobar Mega-Infrastructure Project with Environmental Safeguards
A six-member special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ruled on February 16, 2026, that it found "no good ground" to interfere with the environmental clearance (EC) granted to the Rs 81,000-crore Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure project.
The NGT held that "adequate safeguards have been provided" for identified gaps in the environmental clearance process, effectively upholding the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) clearance.
The project involves a transshipment port, a dual-use (civilian and military) airport, an integrated township, and a 450-MVA power plant across approximately 166 square kilometres of southern Great Nicobar Island.
The project entails diversion of nearly 130 square kilometres of forest land, raising significant ecological concerns given the island's status as a biodiversity hotspot.
Key safeguards imposed by the NGT include: no loss of sandy beaches (critical nesting sites for sea turtles and birds), no construction-related coastal erosion, mandatory coral reef protection and regeneration, and translocation of existing corals per Zoological Survey of India recommendations.
National Green Tribunal (NGT): Jurisdiction and Powers
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, making India only the third country in the world (after Australia and New Zealand) to set up a specialised environmental court. It adjudicates civil cases involving substantial questions relating to the environment arising from the Acts listed in Schedule I.
The NGT was hearing petitions challenging the environmental clearance for the Great Nicobar project. Its decision to uphold the clearance while imposing conditions represents a balancing act between developmental imperatives and ecological safeguards — a key tension tested in UPSC papers.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Process
The EIA Notification, 2006 (under Environment Protection Act 1986) mandates prior environmental clearance for projects before they receive investment decisions or commencement permissions. It classifies projects by their potential environmental impact into Category A (appraised at the central level by the Expert Appraisal Committee under MoEFCC) and Category B (appraised at the state level by the State Expert Appraisal Committee).
The NGT's review concerned procedural gaps in the EIA process for the Great Nicobar project — including concerns about the adequacy of the public hearing, wildlife impact assessment, and coastal regulation zone compliance.
Great Nicobar Island: Ecology, Biodiversity, and Strategic Significance
Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost and largest island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, located at the tri-junction of the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Andaman Sea. It is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is home to extraordinary biodiversity and the indigenous Shompen community.
The project's location in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with critically endangered species and an indigenous PVTG community makes it one of the most ecologically sensitive infrastructure proposals in India. The NGT's clearance is contested by conservationists who argue the safeguards are insufficient to protect the Leatherback turtle nesting sites and Shompen habitat.
- Project cost: Rs 81,000 crore
- Project area: ~166 sq km of southern Great Nicobar Island
- Forest diversion: ~130 sq km
- Components: Transshipment port, dual-use airport, integrated township, 450-MVA power plant
- NGT ruling date: February 16, 2026 (six-member special bench)
- Distance from Strait of Malacca: ~90 km (strategic maritime significance)
- Leatherback sea turtle: World's largest turtle species; critically endangered; nests at Galathea Bay
- Shompen: PVTG, estimated fewer than 300 individuals, pre-agricultural hunter-gatherers
- NGT established: National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 (five bench locations across India)
- Schedule I of NGT Act covers 7 environmental laws (1974–2002)