The story so far: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently concluded a high-stakes legal battle over the ‘Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island’, and ruled that all environment safeguards are in place for the Great Nicobar Island Project. What is the Great Nicobar project? Building all of this would require diverting 130.75 square kilometres of forest land — roughly 18% of the total area of the Great Nicobar Island. The Great Nicobar is located just 40 km from the Malacca Strait, a critical international shipping lane. With the NGT according legal clearance, the ANIIDCO can move ahead with project development.

Source: The Hindu February 22, 2026 15:22 UTC