Genevieve Mallet
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands stretch across the Bay of Bengal, between the Indian mainland and the Strait of Malacca. Of the 836 islands and rocky outcrops that make up the archipelago, only 31 are inhabited, home to around 400,000 people. Known for their turquoise waters, dense forests and multicoloured pigeons, the islands are also home to six indigenous tribes, including the isolated Sentinelese.
Yet beyond their natural beauty, the islands have become central to India’s maritime strategy and development ambitions, placing them at the heart of a growing tension between environmental preservation, renewable energy goals and military expansion.
In 2021 the Indian government announced the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, a plan to construct an international Container Transshipment Terminal, a civil and military airport, a township, and a 450 MVA gas and solar based power plant by 2050. In February of this year, the National Green Tribunal cleared the way for this ₹92,000 crore (USD $10 billion) mega-infrastructure project, citing its “strategic importance”, despite the risks posed to the islands’ biodiversity and indigenous populations.
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