New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday condemned the Great Nicobar infrastructure project as a “planned misadventure,” saying it poses an existential threat to the island’s indigenous tribes and is being pushed through without sensitivity, making a “mockery of all legal and deliberative processes.”
In an article published in The Hindu, she emphasized that the nation’s conscience cannot remain silent when the survival of the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes is at stake.
“Our commitment to future generations cannot allow the large-scale destruction of this unique ecosystem. We must speak out against this travesty of justice and betrayal of our national values,” Sonia Gandhi wrote in her piece titled ‘The Making of an Ecological Disaster in the Nicobar’.
Her remarks follow a letter by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, expressing concern over alleged violations of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in granting clearances to the project, and urging the government to follow due legal process.
Congress leader and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh has also raised alarms, highlighting that the project threatens both ecology and the rights of forest dwellers and tribal communities.
In her article, Sonia Gandhi criticized the Modi government, stating that the past 11 years have seen numerous instances of “half-baked and ill-conceived policymaking,” with the Great Nicobar project being the latest example.
“The Rs 72,000 crore project endangers indigenous communities, threatens one of the world’s rarest ecosystems, and is highly vulnerable to natural disasters,” she said. “Yet it is being pushed through insensitively, disregarding all legal and deliberative safeguards.”
Sonia Gandhi highlighted the plight of the island’s two indigenous communities. The Nicobarese tribe’s ancestral villages lie in the project area, and many were displaced after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The project would permanently prevent their return.
“The Shompen tribe faces an even greater threat. Under the Island’s Shompen Policy, authorities are required to prioritize the welfare and integrity of the tribe when planning large-scale development. Yet this project denotifies part of the Shompen reserve, destroys their forest habitat, and will trigger a massive influx of people and tourists,” she noted. This will effectively sever the Shompen from their ancestral lands and jeopardize their social and economic survival.
Sonia Gandhi also accused the government of bypassing constitutional and statutory safeguards meant to protect tribal rights. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and the Tribal Council of Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar were not properly consulted, she said, and even the Nicobarese Council Chairman’s plea to allow the tribe to return home was ignored.
“The Council’s initial letter of no objection was later revoked, citing that authorities ‘rushed them’ into signing it. The Shompen, empowered under the Forest Rights Act to manage and protect the forests, have not been consulted, a fact now confirmed by the Tribal Council,” she wrote.
From an ecological standpoint, Sonia Gandhi warned that the project is an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe. Around 15% of the island’s land will be cleared, destroying a globally unique rainforest ecosystem. While the Ministry of Environment estimates 8.5 lakh trees may be cut, independent studies suggest the figure could be as high as 32–58 lakh trees.
“Compensatory afforestation is no substitute for the loss of old-growth forests,” she argued. Despite evidence and a National Green Tribunal order, the government has used a high-powered committee to manipulate environmental classifications, she added.
Sonia Gandhi also flagged wildlife concerns, noting that primatologists have warned about threats to the Nicobar long-tailed macaque, and that biodiversity assessments have critical methodological flaws, including off-season surveys of sea turtle nesting sites and limited drone studies for dugongs.
Finally, she noted that the project lies in a seismically active zone, putting infrastructure, people, and ecology at risk.
Sharing the article on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote: “Through this article, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi highlights the injustices inflicted on Nicobar’s people and its delicate ecosystem by this project.”
The project, officially titled ‘Holistic Development of Great Nicobar’, includes plans for a transhipment port, an international airport, a township, and a power plant covering over 160 sq km.
