The Great Nicobar Island Project has received statutory environmental clearances, with the process and underlying studies coming under scrutiny following allegations by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh. Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav formally responded to these concerns, asserting that the project’s appraisal and review adhered to established legal and scientific protocols. According to The Indian Express, Bhupender Yadav rejected Jairam Ramesh’s claims that the environmental clearances for the Great Nicobar Project were based on inadequate baseline data. Yadav stated that the environmental impact assessment and biodiversity impacts had already been examined in detail during both statutory appraisal and a judicially mandated review process.Yadav’s written response, dated 27 May, outlined that the project’s environmental appraisal was conducted in a comprehensive, multi-tiered manner, referencing the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, the Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019, and other relevant provisions. The project, spanning 166 square kilometres, includes a transshipment container port, an international airport, power infrastructure, and a greenfield coastal city, and will require the felling of 13,000 hectares of forest on the islands as coverage revealed.Can Nicobar Islands' Corals Survive Translocation? Coral Biologist Raises DoubtsIn his reply, Yadav cited detailed environmental studies, shoreline assessments, marine investigations, and modelling exercises conducted by institutions such as the Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, and Wildlife Institute of India. He clarified that while primary field data were collected over a single seasonal cycle, the analysis was integrated with long-term historical datasets maintained by these institutions, which have decades of ecological research experience in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands according to analysis.“The shoreline change assessment carried out by NCSCM using six time-series satellite datasets over a 17-year period concluded that the eastern flank of Galathea Bay, where the proposed port is located, is predominantly stable to moderately accreting due to offshore sheet rock formations and favourable sediment deposition patterns,” Yadav stated.NGT Clears Great Nicobar Mega Project, Cites 'Strategic Need'Jairam Ramesh had alleged that the environmental and coastal regulation zone clearance was granted based on baseline studies that did not meet the requirements of the ICRZ notification and the EIA manual for Ports and Harbours. Yadav responded that the requirement for comprehensive studies in low or medium-eroding stretches, including Galathea Bay, was not applicable as the area was found to be stable as reporting indicated.On the issue of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) report’s confidentiality, Yadav maintained that the report contains information of strategic, defence, and national importance. He cited Section 8(1)(a) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, which exempts disclosure of information that may prejudicially affect the sovereignty, security, or scientific interests of the state at the end of his statement.Yadav further stated that the project had been examined in detail with respect to corals, leatherback turtles, megapodes, shoreline stability, marine ecology, and tribal welfare by expert institutions, the Expert Appraisal Committee, and the HPC. The National Green Tribunal’s February order was cited, noting that adequate safeguards and monitoring mechanisms had been incorporated, and that the project was recognised as one of strategic, defence, and national importance.“Projects of larger public and national interest cannot be denied solely on apprehensions where adequate mitigation and conservation measures have been incorporated,” Yadav said, referencing the NGT’s observations.Great Nicobar Port Project: The Red Flags in EIA Report That Have Gone IgnoredNote: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.