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Great Nicobar Mega Project Explained: NGT Nod, Environmental Clearance and Key Concerns
The National Green Tribunal cleared the project citing adequate safeguards and strategic value, ordering strict adherence to environmental clearance conditions by authorities.
- On February 16, 2026, the National Green Tribunal six-member special bench disposed of challenges to the Great Nicobar Island project, finding no good ground to interfere and citing adequate safeguards in the environmental clearance.
- Challengers contended that Ashish Kothari, environmental activist and petitioner, alleged the 2019 Island Coastal Regulation Zone notification was violated and the NGT's 2023 order was not fully complied with by the high-powered committee.
- Spanning 166 sq km, the project will divert 130 sq km of forest and includes planned components: transshipment port, greenfield international airport, townships, and a power plant.
- The tribunal ordered authorities and regulatory agencies to ensure full and strict compliance with environmental clearance conditions, while the Calcutta High Court scheduled a final hearing for the week beginning March 30.
- Concerns centre on impacts to Nicobarese and Shompen communities and more than 70 scholars warned in 2025 of `grave` irreversible harm to the island's biodiversity and forests.
21 Articles
21 Articles
NGT clears path for India's Hong Kong. What's the Great Nicobar Project?
Great Nicobar Project: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused to interfere with the environmental clearance for the Rs 81,000 crore Great Nicobar project. This effectively removes a major legal hurdle and allows the mega strategic plan to move forward. Here's what you need to know about India's most ambitious island infrastructure push that aims to challenge Chinese assertion in the Indo-Pacific.
Great Nicobar Project gets NGT nod: Strategic importance, India's counter to China and why it matters
India is set to get a strategic advancement in the Indian Ocean region following the National Green Tribunal's go-ahead to the Centre's Great Nicobar Project after it dismissed multiple petitions challenging the development plan in the islands, citing national security. According to ANI, the tribunal observed that adequate safeguards have been put in place and concluded that there is no justification at this stage to stay or interfere with the …
Rs 80,000-crore Great Nicobar Project gets NGT nod; tribunal finds 'no good ground to interfere'
The Rs 80,000 crore project includes an international container transhipment terminal, an international airport, a power plant and a township spread across 166.10 sq km -- of which 130.75 sq km is forest land and 84.10 sq km falls under tribal territory
Great Nicobar mega project explained: NGT nod, environmental clearance and key concerns
The National Green Tribunal upheld the Great Nicobar Island development project, emphasising adherence to environmental clearances. The order into account both the project’s strategic significance and its environmental implications.
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