New Delhi/Sri Vijaya Puram, June 6: The political debate surrounding the proposed Great Nicobar development project intensified on Friday after senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP K. C. Venugopal publicly reiterated concerns over its environmental impact and backed the opposition campaign seeking to halt the project.
The Congress General Secretary joined the “Nicobar Matters” campaign spearheaded by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, signing an online petition and urging citizens to support efforts aimed at protecting the island’s biodiversity and ecological resources.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Venugopal alleged that the project would result in large-scale environmental degradation and adversely affect local communities.
“We cannot sit quietly as 1.5 crore trees are cut down, thousands of tribals lose their lands, and land many times the size of Delhi is handed over for casinos, resorts and blatant exploitation,” he stated while announcing his support for the campaign.
The Congress leader said he stood alongside Rahul Gandhi in opposing the project and called on people to participate in the movement.
The latest remarks form part of the Congress party’s continuing criticism of the ambitious infrastructure project planned for Great Nicobar Island, one of the largest islands in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.
The opposition has consistently argued that the project poses risks to the island’s forests, biodiversity and indigenous communities.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier visited the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and launched a public campaign against the project, describing it as a threat to the island’s natural and tribal heritage.
In a video released on social media, the Congress leader alleged that the project would lead to extensive ecological damage and the destruction of forest resources.
The Centre, however, has repeatedly rejected these allegations and maintained that the project incorporates environmental safeguards while addressing strategic and economic priorities.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has stated that the Great Nicobar development programme seeks to balance economic growth, national security requirements and environmental protection.
According to the government, the project is designed to transform Great Nicobar into a major maritime and economic hub by leveraging its strategic location near one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors.
Great Nicobar lies approximately 150 kilometres from the western entrance of the Strait of Malacca, a critical maritime chokepoint connecting the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
The route carries a significant share of global trade and is regarded as one of the most important sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific region.
Government officials have argued that the island’s proximity to major international shipping routes presents a strategic opportunity for India to strengthen maritime infrastructure and reduce dependence on foreign transhipment ports.
The proposed project includes several large-scale infrastructure components, including an International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), a greenfield international airport, a gas and solar-based power plant and a new township.
According to official estimates, the transhipment terminal is planned to handle up to 14.2 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), while the airport is expected to accommodate international passenger traffic and improve connectivity.
The government has maintained that the project has undergone environmental assessment processes and received the required statutory clearances.
Officials have stated that ecological management measures, land-use planning and environmental safeguards form part of the project’s implementation framework.
The Centre has also emphasized that the initiative serves broader strategic objectives, including strengthening India’s maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific and enhancing national security capabilities.
Supporters of the project argue that it could generate employment, improve connectivity, attract investment and create new economic opportunities in the region.
Critics, however, continue to raise concerns regarding potential impacts on forests, wildlife habitats and indigenous communities inhabiting the island.
The renewed criticism from Congress comes amid continuing public and political discussion over the future of one of India’s largest and most closely watched infrastructure projects.
With the Centre firmly defending the initiative and opposition parties intensifying their campaign against it, the Great Nicobar project is expected to remain a subject of debate as planning and implementation efforts move forward.
