8th September, Monday: The Great Nicobar Island Development Project was started in 2021 under the direction of NITI Aayog. It looks forward to taking advantage of the island's key location which close to the Malacca Strait. It is a crucial sea route which connects the Indian and Pacific oceans. The ambitious plan looks to include tourism and urban development while improving India's maritime trade, defense capabilities, and regional economy.
There are large scale infrastructures which are envisioned by the project. It includes Galathea Bay. It will see the development of an international container shipment terminal to improve cargo handling capacity and reduce the reliance on foreign ports. An international greenfield airport that can contain up to 4,000 passengers per hour will be improving the strategic deployment and connectivity. There will be 450 MVA solar and gas power plants which meet dependable energy demands. It helps to handle development and population expansion.
There will be two new coastal townships planned to be constructed. A cruise ship terminal will help in upscaling tourist destinations and an industrial area which will provide extra features. Great Nicobar is strategically located for India's maritime security and surveillance because of its closeness to the Malacca, Sunda, and Lombok Straits. It helps in enhancing regional presence and trade routes. It is under the project which supports the QUAD's Indo-Pacific strategic goals and is in relation with India's Act East Policy.
Congress leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are among the critics who have voiced serious concerns which improve the project's potential effects on nearby tribal communities. It will be including the Nicobarese and Shompen. The island is prone to earthquakes, environmentalists go against serious deforestation, threats to endangered species, and other dangers relating to seismic activities. The issues also have concerns related to possible displacement and legal evasion in project approvals.
It is an historic effort to strike a balance between India's strategic and economic objectives and social and environmental issues is the Great Nicobar Island Project. The project's success depends on resolving ecological sensitivities and protecting indigenous rights in the midst of extensive development, even though it promises improved defense and trade capabilities.
