18 hours ago
1
Under the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, India plans to put astir ₹13,000 crore to physique a dual-use airdrome and runway for some civilian and Navy operations, said a elder authoritative with the Ministry of Defence connected Monday (June 8, 2026).
According to sources successful the Ministry, the project, expected to beryllium completed wrong 5 years, volition beryllium jointly funded by the Ministry on with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The authorities views the inaugural arsenic a strategical concern aimed astatine strengthening maritime security, boosting determination connectivity and enhancing India’s beingness successful the Indo-Pacific region.
Elaborating astir the project, the authoritative said the task comprises 4 large components — an International Container Trans-shipment Port (ICTP), a joint-user greenfield airdrome and Naval Air Station, a modern township, and a powerfulness plant. Together, these projects are expected to alteration Great Nicobar into a cardinal maritime and economical hub portion enhancing India’s defence capabilities successful the strategically important Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Located conscionable 40 km from the Six Degree Channel, 1 of the world’s busiest oversea commercialized routes connecting the Gulf of Aden and the Malacca Strait, Great Nicobar occupies a captious presumption on planetary shipping lanes. Government officials said the task would trim India’s dependence connected overseas trans-shipment ports and fortify its quality to show and unafraid captious Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCs).
The projected greenfield airport, approved by the Union Cabinet and to beryllium operated by the Indian Navy, is expected to importantly amended maritime domain awareness, logistics support, and accelerated deployment capabilities. The airdrome is besides expected to beforehand tourism, with the Airports Authority of India projecting an archetypal capableness of 1.35 cardinal passengers annually by 2040, it said.
It is understood that 5 imaginable sites, including INS Baaz astatine Campbell Bay, were assessed earlier Galathea Bay was selected for the airport. Technical constraints, constricted enlargement possibilities, and biology concerns reportedly made the enlargement of INS Baaz unviable.
Addressing concerns implicit biology interaction and tribal rights, officials said the task has undergone extended biology assessments involving institutions specified arsenic the Zoological Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON). Of the island’s full area, lone 166.1 quadrate kilometres person been earmarked for development, portion much than 81% volition proceed to stay nether forests, biosphere reserves, nationalist parks and tribal conservation zones.
A dedicated conservation bundle worthy ₹2,220 crore implicit 30 years has been planned to support wildlife, including leatherback turtles, Nicobar megapodes and crocodiles, arsenic good arsenic coral reefs and mangrove ecosystems.
The authoritative confirmed that that nary carnal displacement of tribal communities is projected and that consultations were conducted with tribal payment authorities and typical bodies.
Besides strategical gains, the task is expected to make implicit 1 lakh nonstop and indirect employment opportunities, providing a important economical boost to the land portion portion supporting India’s semipermanent maritime and information objectives.
