‘No Good Ground To Interfere’: NGT Clears Great Nicobar Project, Cites Strategic Importance

Last Updated:February 16, 2026, 17:11 IST

The National Green Tribunal approved the Great Nicobar Island project, citing its strategic value and environmental safeguards.

A six-member special bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday cleared the way for the Great Nicobar Island mega infrastructure project, holding that it found “no good ground to interfere" with the project’s Environment Clearance.

The Rs 80,000 crore project involves an international container transshipment terminal, an international airport, a power plant, and a township over an area of 166.10 sq km, of which 130.75 sq km is forest and 84.10 sq km tribal land.

The Bench, headed by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, disposed of a batch of petitions challenging the environment clearance granted in November 2022. The NGT also directed authorities and regulatory agencies to ensure “full and strict compliance" with the environment clearance conditions, as per news reports.

“We find that adequate safeguards have been provided in the EC conditions and in the first round of litigation the Tribunal had refused to interfere in the EC and remaining issues noted by the Tribunal in the first round of litigation have been dealt with by the High-Powered Committee and considering the strategic importance of the Project and taking into account the other relevant considerations, we do not find any good ground to interfere," the tribunal said in its order.

“The project is very important for India from the strategic point of view," the Tribunal observed, noting that development at such a location must be considered in a balanced manner while ensuring adherence to environmental regulations, including the Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) Notification, 2019.

The project was accorded environmental clearance in November 2022, and in-principle forest clearance was granted in October 2022.

The EC was challenged on several environmental grounds. In 2023, the NGT had constituted a High-Powered Committee under the Union Environment Ministry Secretary to revisit certain aspects of the clearance, particularly relating to–Protection of coral colonies, Nesting sites of leatherback turtles, and Allegations that parts of the project fell within ecologically protected zones.

Senior environmental activist Ashish Kothari had filed two main pleas before NGT. Kothari argued that 57 hectares of port area, 60 hectares of airport area, 81 hectares of township for defence, and 503 hectares of other township should be excluded from the project plans because they fell within ICRZ areas, where development was prohibited.

Petitioners argued that the terms of reference given to the HPC were “truncated and factually incorrect," and that broader environmental issues had not been properly examined. They also sought public disclosure of the HPC’s report.

However, the tribunal held that the committee had adequately dealt with the issues and found no error in its terms of reference. It also accepted the Union government’s submission that the HPC report contained “strategic, defence and national importance" information and therefore could not be made public.

On concerns relating to coral reefs, the NGT relied on submissions that “no major coral reef exists within the work area of the project," though scattered corals are present in adjoining areas. It noted that plans were underway for translocation of coral colonies as recommended by the Zoological Survey of India.

The Tribunal directed the Environment Ministry to prepare and approve an implementation plan for coral protection and regeneration, suggesting involvement of scientific agencies such as the Zoological Survey of India and the National Institute of Oceanography.

News india ‘No Good Ground To Interfere’: NGT Clears Great Nicobar Project, Cites Strategic Importance

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