The Government of India’s ambitious multi-crore development plan for Great Nicobar Island — including a power plant, port, township, and airport — has drawn criticism for endangering nearly 13,000 hectares of pristine forest in one of the world’s key biodiversity hotspots.
Experts warn that the project threatens the island’s fragile ecosystems, which act as vital carbon sinks and climate regulators. Concerns have also emerged about the violation of indigenous Nicobarese tribes’ forest rights, reportedly bypassed during the project’s approval process.
Environmentalists argue that the issue highlights the need to legally recognise nature’s rights, a concept adopted by countries like Ecuador, New Zealand, and Colombia, where ecosystems are treated as entities deserving of legal protection.
India has previously explored this approach — notably when the Uttarakhand High Court in 2017 declared the Ganga and Yamuna rivers as “living entities.” Although stayed by the Supreme Court, it reflected a shift toward ecological jurisprudence.
As debates continue, the Great Nicobar case underscores a larger question: can India balance infrastructure growth with ecological preservation and respect for indigenous rights?
