New Delhi | The government aims to start work on the ambitious Great Nicobar Project by 2028, taking all measures to maintain the ecological balance in and around the islands, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Tuesday.
The statement has come amid strong opposition from the Congress, which has raised concerns over the project, saying it will affect the ecological balance and help "one businessman".
In an interaction with the media persons, the minister for ports, shipping and waterways said, "We are not going to stop. We will go ahead with it. We will definitely do it." Sonowal was replying to a question about whether the government would go ahead with the Great Nicobar Project even as there is a lot of political backlash against it.
When asked about the timeline for the project, he said it will be built in phases, with the first phase beginning in 2028.
The Great Nicobar Project seeks to transform Great Nicobar into a strategic maritime and economic hub by leveraging its proximity (about 40 nautical miles) to the east–west shipping route and reducing dependence on foreign transhipment ports, keeping in view the defence and national security purposes.
It includes major infrastructure components -- a 14.2 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (MTEU) international container transhipment terminal, a greenfield international airport (4,000 peak-hour passengers capacity), a 450 MVA gas–solar power plant, and a planned township.
However, the project has attracted criticism from the main opposition party, Congress, which has alleged that the project is a recipe for ecological havoc and would lead to large-scale destruction of coral colonies.
Earlier this month, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the government's argument that the Great Nicobar Island Project is about defence and a transhipment port is a "lie", and alleged that it is actually about helping one businessman build hotels and casinos on India's most irreplaceable ecological land.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has also written a letter to the ports, shipping and waterways minister seeking clarifications on the development of a transhipment port under the project.
Sonowal further said that the government will address all issues before commencing the project.
"There were two issues coming - one, leatherback sea turtles that come for breeding all the way from Australia and other parts of the world, and the coral zone. We will keep it safe," the minister said.
