“Better late than never.” Finally, strategic considerations – military and economic security interests – have been upheld over environmental concerns by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). After over five decades of dithering, the NGT formally cleared the “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” project on February 16, 2026, dismissing several petitions that challenged its environmental and coastal clearances. The tribunal cited the project’s strategic importance for national security and its potential to transform India into a global maritime hub as primary reasons for allowing it to proceed.
Kudos, or credit, squarely goes to the Modi-led NDA government. The execution of the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) Project, a mega-infrastructure initiative valued between Rs. 81,000 crore and Rs. 92,000 crore, can now finally commence. The project spans approximately 166 sq km and is being implemented by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO).
The key components of the project include:
- An International Container Transshipment Port (ICTP) located at Galathea Bay, with Phase I costing roughly Rs. 18,000 crore, targeted for completion by 2028;
- A dual-use greenfield international airport for both civilian and military purposes;
- An integrated township;
- Coastal townships designed to support the project’s workforce and eco-tourism; and
- A 450 MVA hybrid gas- and solar-based power plant to ensure energy self-sufficiency.
Yet another “Himalayan Strategic Blunder” committed by successive governments before 2014. Indira Gandhi is credited with using her political authority to safeguard ecologically sensitive regions, specifically the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The protections established during her era are now at the center of the legal debate surrounding the Great Nicobar Island Project.
Of course, Indira Gandhi was supposed to be a passionate birdwatcher, a hobby she developed while incarcerated in the 1940s, using Salim Ali’s books. Her close association with Ali influenced her strong efforts to conserve bird-rich habitats. The Wildlife Protection Act (1972) and the Forest Conservation Act (1980) were spearheaded during her tenure in office. Under her leadership, the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (1956) remained strictly enforced, designating roughly 85%–92% of Great Nicobar as a tribal reserve, thereby restricting outside entry and exploitation.
The southernmost tip of Great Nicobar (and India) was renamed Indira Point in her honour following her visit to the local lighthouse on February 19, 1984, just months before her assassination.
Sonia Gandhi, in late 2025, argued that the current Rs. 92,000 crore project makes a “mockery” of these laws by denotifying the Galathea Bay Sanctuary. Criticism by certain opposition intellectuals appears ironic. They refuse to appreciate the strategic significance of the islands. Otto von Bismarck’s quote is quite apt here: “Fools say they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others’ experience.” Critics pursuing vote-bank politics continue to refuse to learn from others’ experience.
Take the example of Chinese initiatives in the South China Sea to protect and advance their national security interests – both military and economic. Since 2013, China has used advanced dredging techniques to create over five square miles of new land. China has developed outposts on approximately 27 maritime features in the South China Sea, primarily across the Paracel and Spratly Islands chains. China’s development focuses on turning these features into fortified artificial islands and military bases to exercise hegemony over the South China Sea.
Spratly Islands (7 features): China has transformed seven reefs into artificial islands, reclaiming roughly 3,200 acres of land by dumping millions of tons of sand. These include the three key artificial islands: Fiery Cross Reef (3,000-metre runway, advanced radar, and missile systems); Mischief Reef (the largest artificial island with 72 aircraft hangars); Subi Reef; Cuarteron Reef; Gaven Reef; Hughes Reef; and Johnson South Reef.
Paracel Islands (20 features): China maintains approximately 20 outposts in this northern chain, including a major administrative and military hub on Woody Island (3,000-metre runway, HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles, and nuclear-capable H-6K bombers). Other key artificial islands include: Triton; Duncan; Pattle; Money; Tree; Antelope Reef; Robert; Lincoln; Drummond; and many other smaller outposts.
Surely, the Chinese development of reefs into artificial islands and their establishment of military establishments ought to serve as a lesson to Indian strategic thinkers and planners.
Understanding Geostrategic Imperatives from National Security Interests
Understanding geostrategic imperatives from a national security perspective is critical. In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt highlighted the geo-strategic significance of oceans: “The Mediterranean is the ocean of the past; the Atlantic is the ocean of the present; and the Pacific is the ocean of the future.”
Historically, the islands’ strategic importance has been driven by the economic rationale of securing resources, protecting trade routes, and expanding trade networks – beyond mere military dominance. Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty was among the first Indian rulers to exploit this geo-strategic advantage. The Cholas, with their formidable navy, used the islands as a springboard for expansion into Southeast Asia. After conquering modern-day Sri Lanka, they used the Andamans to launch raids on the Srivijaya empire’s ports in present-day Indonesia. (To be concluded)
