At India’s southern edge, Great Nicobar is set for a massive ₹80,000 crore transformation under the Great Nicobar Project, featuring a deep-sea port at Galathea Bay, an international airport, a power plant, and a modern township. While the government hails it as a strategic gamechanger, critics warn of deforestation, coral reef damage, and threats to the Shompen tribe. As Sonia Gandhi calls it a “grave misadventure” and Narendra Modi backs its national importance, the debate deepens: Can development and ecology coexist on this fragile island?
