Grand Projects
An online petition urging the Union government to withdraw the projects it has planned on Great Nicobar island has garnered more than 2.10 lakh signatures as of Thursday night (May 21). The petition highlights the “extensive deforestation” that the projects will cause and stresses on the need to promote sustainable alternatives for development on the island. https://thewire.in/environment/more-than-2-lakh-people-sign-petition-against-great-nicobar-projects
The Union government has planned a slew of infrastructure projects on Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. These include an international transshipment container terminal, a greenfield airport, a township and a power plant.
Citizens including biologists, social scientists, conservationists and retired civil servants have raised numerous concerns such as the government’s underestimation of the trees that are likely to be felled for the projects, a flawed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), ignoring the dissent of local communities, and bypassing laws including the Forest Rights Act to provide permissions for the implementation of the projects.
The petition reiterates several of these concerns, inlcuding the deforestation of 130 square kilometres of rainforest by felling 9.6 lakh trees, though some experts peg this number at close to one million, and that the port project will threaten biodiversity at Galathea Bay, in the southeastern part of the island.
22/05/2026
The National Green Tribunal on Monday disposed of challenges to the Great Nicobar Project, saying that it found no grounds to interfere as there are “adequate safeguards” in the environmental clearance, The Indian Express reported.
Great Nicobar Project: Green tribunal declines to interfere with environmental clearances
The Great Nicobar Project includes the construction of new townships, a power plant, a greenfield international airport and a transshipment port.
It is expected to use 166 sq km of the Great Nicobar island, which is part of the Nicobar Islands. The island falls within the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot, spanning the western half of the Indonesian archipelago.
Concerns have been raised about the impact of large infrastructure projects on the Shompen, a vulnerable tribal group, and the Nicobarese community. The project has also faced criticism for its potential impact on the island’s biodiversity, rainforests and endemic species.
16/02/2026
Close attention to chief minister Siddaramaiah's words while withdrawing the acquisition of land near the Bengaluru airport shows that people's movements need vigilance https://thewire.in/rights/karnataka-siddaramaiah-devanahalli-farmers-corporate-development .
The struggle and the victory of Devanahalli’s farmers is historic on many counts. The farmers of the 13 villages withstood the threats and inducement, and have led what is probably one of the longest such battles in the recent past, in any country. That they did it against both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress governments is a story in itself.
But many developments before and after the declaration of withdrawal hints at the fact that the sword of acquisition is still hanging.
by Shivasundar
21/07/2025
A decade after its grand inauguration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ceremonially relaunched the Amaravati Capital Project on May 2, marking a fresh push to revive what was once envisioned as a futuristic state capital.
https://thewire.in/government/amaravati-grand-blueprint-ghost-town-and-back
In 2015, Amaravati was announced as Andhra Pradesh’s new capital with much fanfare, promising world-class infrastructure and economic growth. However, political shifts, funding delays and legal disputes left the project in limbo.
Now, with a renewed commitment of Rs 65,000 crore, the Union and state governments aim to breathe life back into the ambitious venture.
These delays raise questions about the government’s ability to deliver on its promises. With the Amaravati Capital City Project poised for another restart in 2025, the public is left to wonder whether the government’s infrastructure ambitions are truly about building a better India, or just laying foundation stones for the sake of optics.
15/05/2025
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), India’s apex green court, ruled that it would not “interfere” with the forest and environment clearances accorded to the Rs 72,000 crore-mega infrastructure project in India’s Great Nicobar Island, which conservationists have said will affect indigenous communities and damage the fragile ecology and biodiversity of the Island. https://thewire.in/environment/ngt-great-nicobar-project-disappointing
The mega project involves diverting 130 square kilometres of forest, to construct several developmental projects including a transshipment terminal, a township and an airport. It will also affect the indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese communities living on the island.
08/04/2023