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Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh, connected Friday (June 12, 2026), wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urging him to reconsider the rejection of a afloat runway enlargement astatine INS Baaz connected Campbell Bay. He argued that the alternate present being pursued — a greenfield airdrome astatine Galathea Bay successful Great Nicobar — carries acold heavier ecological and societal costs than the authorities has acknowledged.
The missive follows the Defence Ministry’s June 8 assertion that India would put astir ₹13,000 crore successful a dual-use airdrome and runway for civilian and naval operations, to beryllium completed wrong 5 years and jointly funded with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Officials person described the airport, to beryllium operated by the Indian Navy, arsenic a strategical plus that would sharpen maritime domain awareness, logistics enactment and accelerated deployment successful the Indo-Pacific. Great Nicobar lies astir 40 km from the Six Degree Channel, 1 of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Mr. Ramesh’s missive responds to media reports, attributed to Defence Ministry sources, that runway enlargement astatine INS Baaz would beryllium constricted due to the fact that lengthening it beyond 4,500 feet would harm the surrounding environment. He questioned the timing of that concern. “I admit the abrupt interest for ecological protection,” helium wrote, earlier listing what helium said were the greater costs of the Galathea Bay site.
The projected airport, helium wrote, would necessitate cutting 2 forest-covered hills of 115 metres and clearing astir 225 acres of protected wood and 130 acres of deemed wood that signifier portion of the territory of the Shompen tribal community. About 142 acres beryllium connected Island Coastal Regulation Zone-1A onshore — the astir protected class nether the 2019 coastal notification — and instrumentality successful turtle-nesting beaches, corals and breeding grounds of the endangered Nicobar megapode. The task would besides impact reclaiming a creek, relocating saltwater crocodiles, and moving 234 ex-servicemen settler families who, helium said, would beryllium displaced for a 3rd clip successful caller years.
Mr. Ramesh further argued that the tract had not undergone a superior biology assessment, contempt Great Nicobar being designated an Important Bird Area and lying connected 2 planetary migratory routes, the Central Asian and East Asian-Australasian flyways. The Galathea Bay tract was declared a dual-purpose airdrome by the Union Home Ministry successful March 2022, and helium noted that the Defence Ministry had taken years to remark connected it publicly, “albeit verbally and anonymously.”
He asked the Minister to reconsider rejecting the afloat INS Baaz expansion, which helium said immoderate elder naval officers had themselves recommended.
The authorities has defended its choice. Officials accidental 5 sites, including INS Baaz, were assessed earlier Galathea Bay was selected, with method constraints and biology concerns rendering the Campbell Bay enactment unviable. They support that much than 81% of the land volition stay nether forests and conservation zones, that a ₹2,220-crore conservation bundle volition tally implicit 30 years, and that nary carnal displacement of tribal communities is planned. The project, they add, is expected to make implicit 1 lakh jobs.
Mr. Ramesh said helium had copied the missive to Environment Minister, Bhupendra Yadav.
