Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has accused the Modi government of manipulating official maps of the Great Nicobar Island to push through the controversial mega infrastructure project in the ecologically sensitive region.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ramesh alleged that coral reefs were 'airbrushed' out of the island’s official maps to bypass environmental restrictions that would have otherwise halted construction.
“Another day, another revelation of how the Modi Government has bulldozed the Great Nicobar Mega Infra Project through due process. Now we learn that official maps of the island have been airbrushed to remove corals from the map,” Ramesh wrote.
‘Corals moved mid-sea to clear the project’
According to Ramesh, the 2020 government map of Great Nicobar showed extensive coral reefs along the island’s southern and western coasts, including Galathea Bay, the proposed site for an international container transshipment terminal (ICTT).
However, in the 2021 revision, those coral reefs were allegedly relocated mid-sea, where such ecosystems cannot biologically exist.
“By 2021, the revised government map moved these reefs mid-sea where it is biologically impossible for coral reefs to exist. But the shift in the reef's location on the map conveniently paved the way for the mega-project,” Ramesh alleged.
He added that such changes were not the result of new ecological data but were rather a “bureaucratic rewrite” to sidestep conservation laws.
‘From no-go zone to developable land’
The Congress leader further claimed that in 2020, nearly the entire stretch of the island was classified as CRZ-IA (Coastal Regulation Zone-IA), an area where port construction and other large-scale infrastructure are prohibited.
But by 2021, he said, the new version of the official map no longer showed Galathea Bay under CRZ-IA, effectively clearing the way for project development.
“This ‘re-categorisation’ allows the development of the area for the project. This is not an ecological update, but a bureaucratic rewrite to bypass environmental safeguards,” Ramesh said.
“When reality stands in the way of corporate ambition, the Modi government simply redraws it.”
Government’s position: project of ‘national importance’
The government, however, has maintained that the Great Nicobar Island Development Project has undergone due environmental scrutiny.
In a statement to the Rajya Sabha in November 2024, the Centre said that the decision to proceed with the project was taken after careful assessment of potential ecological impact, while also factoring in its strategic, defence, and national importance.
The project, which includes a deep-sea port, airport, township, and power plant, is part of India’s broader plan to transform the Andaman and Nicobar Islands into a strategic maritime and logistics hub.
Environmentalists have long warned that the Great Nicobar Mega Infra Project could irreversibly damage the island’s fragile ecosystem, which is home to endangered species, dense rainforests, and coral reefs.
Supporters, however, argue that the project will boost trade, connectivity, and national security in the Indian Ocean region, creating jobs and infrastructure in one of India’s most isolated territories.
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