Asked to assess the impact of future projects on the Great Nicobar island, Vishvajit Pandya never heard back after he submitted a report to the administration.

“My first reaction was that nothing is safe now. Not even an officially recognised sanctuary.”

This report, compiled by Survival International for the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), relevant United Nations Special Rapporteurs and other relevant UN officials, docum...

New Delhi, June 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Major General Dhruv Katoch (retired) asserted that the Great Nicobar Project will give India "leverage by having its military presence" in the Six Degree Channel on the south of the Great Nicobar, from where 90 per cent of the world's containers will pass in the future. Also, following the breakthrough of the country's longest Zojila Tunnel on Tuesday, Dhruv Katoch said that besides serving as a strategic importance for the Indian Army, Ladakh and Kargil will now be connected with Srinagar throughout the year. During an interaction with IANS, the former Army Major said that the Great Nicobar Project is being planned as both, an expansion of the country's military capability and as a trans-shipment port.

Gurugram, May 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Stressing the strategic and economic importance of the Great Nicobar Project, Major General (Retd.) Arvind Bhatia said on Friday that the ambitious development plan in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will significantly enhance India's maritime capabilities, reduce dependence on foreign ports, and strengthen surveillance over key global shipping routes. Speaking to IANS on the project's geopolitical relevance, Bhatia underlined that proximity to the Strait of Malacca -- one of the world's busiest maritime chokepoints -- places India in a stronger position to monitor international trade and strategic movements, particularly those involving China.

New Delhi, April 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) Defence veterans have strongly backed the Great Nicobar Project in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, terming it crucial for India's maritime security, economic growth and strategic positioning, while dismissing concerns raised by Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi over environmental degradation. LoP Gandhi flagged potential ecological damage and risks to indigenous communities in the islands. However, former Air Chief Marshal R. K. S. Bhadauria rejected the allegations, describing them as "baseless" and lacking a comprehensive understanding of the project's scope and long-term significance.

New Delhi, Sep 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has strongly criticised the Centre's Great Nicobar Island Project, calling it a "grave misadventure" that tramples tribal rights, undermines due process, and threatens one of the country's most fragile ecosystems. In her op-ed titled 'The making of an ecological disaster in the Nicobar' published in a leading daily, Gandhi warned that the "collective conscience cannot and must not stay silent when the very survival of the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes is at risk."

Geopolitics analyst Manish Anand breaks down the Great Nicobar Island development project — examining its strategic value against concerns.

In ‘Island on Edge: The Great Nicobar Crisis,' Pankaj Sekhsaria explores the plight of the indigenous Nicobarese and how mega-development projects threaten their existence.

Jual Oram said he was not aware of objections by vulnerable tribal groups on the island, but this is at odds with his own statements and the available facts.

MP Saket Gokhale questioned the government’s stance, pointing out that the assessment was prepared at the request of the Andaman and Nicobar administration.