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4 min readNew DelhiApr 10, 2026 06:30 AM IST
The western flank, northern and south-western parts of the development area are predominantly diverted forest land, while the eastern flank of the development area is predominantly under revenue villages.
CITING TOURISM as the “backbone” for the growth of Great Nicobar Island and its primary economic driver, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has outlined the proposed development of a greenfield coastal city that will rest on the pillars of an airport, a transshipment port, tourism and entertainment hub, and allied servicing industry.
The Public Works Department of the islands has sought suggestions and objections on the ‘draft master plan for Great Nicobar Island Development Area – 2047’, and as per sources, a notification to this effect has been published locally. The report did specify which agency had prepared it.
The draft master plan primarily focuses on the integrated township component of the Rs 81,000-crore Great Nicobar Island (GNI) mega infrastructure project. An international airport, a transshipment port at Galathea Bay, a gas and solar power plant and defence-related plans are the other key parts of the project that is proposed to make the island an economic and defence hub. A linear, multi-nodal urban corridor stretching around 35-km from north-south along GNI’s eastern coast from Campbell Bay to Indira point has been proposed for urbanisation.
Of the total 166-sq-km area required for all components of the GNI project, the new greenfield city will take up the largest chunk. This will comprise 9.51 sq km land for mixed-use development covering hotels, retail and offices; 8.68 sq km for parks and open spaces; 5.95 sq km for residential use and 1.12 sq km for industry. Agricultural land measuring 3.46 sq km has been conserved, with provisions allowing eco-resorts and farmstays alongside traditional coconut and areca nut cultivation.
A big chunk of 66.53 sq km will be reserved as no-felling zone, as per conditions laid down by the Environment Ministry while granting clearances.
The land, it stated, will be divided into four development clusters and two special reservation zones along this north-south extent. These include a tourism and entertainment cluster, a processing cluster for agro and seafood products, an administrative and institutional cluster. The special reservation zones will comprise defence activities in the southwestern part flanking Galathea Bay, and a future development zone, which would be opened in the future.
The western flank, northern and south-western parts of the development area are predominantly diverted forest land, while the eastern flank of the development area is predominantly under revenue villages.
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The islands’ 8,000-8,500 odd population is spread over the seven revenue villages — Campbell Bay, Govind Nagar, Joginder Nagar, Vijay Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar — on the eastern coast. As part of the road development, a new trunk road is proposed.
For economic growth, a tourism and entertainment hub, a port-linked finance hub, a wellness hub for promoting yoga, naturopathy and ayurveda, and a knowledge hub are envisaged. Singapore, Busan, Dubai and Hong Kong have been mentioned as reference points for the development of a finance hub to complement the port-linked activities. “The establishment of banking and insurance services will be essential to support port activities as well as meet financial services needs of the incoming population,” the report said.
Annual tourist arrivals are projected to grow from 98,000 in 2029 to 7.35 lakh by 2047 and over one million by 2055. To accommodate them, the draft plan proposes resort clusters and beachfront developments along six beaches, including a continuous six-km stretch near the proposed airport. A gaming and entertainment hub, wellness retreats, eco-tourism trails and community-run homestays are also proposed.
An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
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