New Delhi [India], January 2 : Senior Congress leader and MP Jairam Ramesh on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Modi government over the ambitious development projects in Great Nicobar Island, alleging that aggressive infrastructure push in a highly ecologically sensitive zone would aggravate climate risks, harm public health and marginalise indigenous communities.
Speaking to ANI, Ramesh questioned the rationale behind clearing large-scale projects in fragile regions, saying development was being pursued at the cost of environmental stability and people's well-being. "Even from a public health perspective, why is the Modi government promoting these projects that exacerbate natural disasters and deplete oxygen? Who benefits from this? The people don't benefit. Local communities don't benefit," he said.
The Congress leader accused the Centre of prioritising "ease of doing business" over environmental protection. "I don't understand why the Modi government, in the name of ease of doing business, is destroying the ease of breathing and the ease of living. If you tamper with nature, if you disrupt it, the result will be what we saw in the tsunami, floods, earthquakes and landslides," Ramesh said, calling the government "very insensitive" on environmental issues. He added that there is a "huge difference between the Prime Minister's words and actions" when it comes to climate and ecology.
Ramesh said, "There is no dearth of environmental disasters created by the Modi government. Just now, the Supreme Court has put a stay on the definition of the Aravalli Hills. So, that was one disaster created by the Modi government, which we have fortunately averted for now. But there is another major environmental disaster being created by the Modi government in the Great Nicobar Island, which is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. "
"For a year now, I have been writing letters to the Environment Minister and raising this issue several times in Parliament, stating that an airport is going to be built there, a seaport is going to be constructed, and an ecotourism resort is going to be established. They want to build all of this. This is a major environmental disaster. Millions of acres of forest will be cut down. Not one lakh, not two lakh, not three lakh, but millions of trees will be cut down. There will be immense damage to biodiversity. The local communities, the tribal people there, will be displaced. The Gram Sabha (village council) has already said that they do not want this, and yet the Modi government is forcibly pushing ahead with this Great Nicobar infrastructure project," he added.
Ramesh's remarks come amid the government's move to begin work on a new airport at the southernmost tip of India on Great Nicobar Island, which officially commenced on December 22, according to documents accessed by ANI.
The project is projected to significantly enhance India's defence preparedness in the Indian Ocean Region by allowing operations of larger military aircraft and reducing response times, with the nearest major airport, Port Blair's Veer Savarkar International Airport, located more than 500 km away.
In a post on X earlier, Ramesh described the project approvals as "hasty" and driven by "greed and shortsightedness", warning that they could prove a "dangerous and long-term tragedy" for the region. He alleged that scientific assessments and local concerns had been ignored and that the projects would cause "irreparable damage" to the island's fragile ecology while pushing indigenous communities to the margins.
The government, however, maintains that the Great Nicobar development plan adopts a phased, balanced and sustainable approach. The plan envisions an airport as part of a broader strategy that includes tourism infrastructure, urban hubs, and research facilities, while optimising land use. Officials project the island's population could reach around 6.5 lakh by 2050 and potentially double further by 2075.