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Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

The Great Nicobar project doesn’t contribute to national security. It just affects nature

Those raging at the Congress for ‘opposing’ national security should realise that Congress governments built much of the defence infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

All hell broke loose after the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi visited Great Nicobar Island and made a video criticising the massive deforestation that will result from the building of a container transshipment port, airport and power plant project. Expectedly, self-appointed nationalists accused the Opposition of hindering ‘development’ and undermining national security, seeking to drown out reasonable discussion of costs and benefits.

This whining could not be more off the mark. The reality is that the project for the ‘Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Islands’ has marginal military utility. Why do I say this? Because I did something shocking: I read the actual project documents.

Search for the terms “defence”, “military”, “naval” or “dual-use” in the January 2023 Expression of Interest document about the transshipment project, and you get… nothing. The March 2021 Environmental Impact Assessment report only mentions a “defence apron” at the associated international airport, stating that the defence area will be 5.6 per cent of the total. The November 2022 Environmental Clearance says that any defence facilities will be restricted to the western tip of Galathea Bay. It’s what some people call a nothingburger.

Those raging at the Congress party for ‘opposing’ national security should realise that Congress........

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