The Greater Nicobar project is “important for India’s military footprint” in the area, a former chief of the Indian Air Force said on Thursday (April 30, 2026), as part of the BJP’s pushback against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments against the project and its harmful ecological footprint.
Air Chief Marshal (Retd) R.K.S. Bhadauria, who is now a member of the BJP, pointed to the strategic importance of having a port near the route of China’s energy shipments, with the conflict in West Asia demonstrating the impact of such maritime leverage.
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He added that environmental concerns are taken on board as a matter of course whenever such projects are mooted. “There are statutory clearances and committees are made. They look at all the factors and all these are mitigated,” he said in a statement.
The project, being built at a cost of around ₹81,000 crore, includes a transhipment terminal, a power plant, and a township. The Union government expects it to boost maritime trade, connectivity, and security, and play a key role in promoting India’s geo-strategic and economic interests.
