Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has alleged that some groups opposing the proposed Great Nicobar infrastructure project were being “fuelled by external agencies.” He argued that projects of strategic importance cannot be evaluated solely through environmental or commercial lenses.
Speaking during a fireside chat at the Andaman Ideas Summit 2026 in Sri Vijaya Puram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, on Saturday, Rijiju said that resistance to some major infrastructure projects in strategically sensitive regions could be influenced by forces beyond those publicly visible.
Reacting to a question on opposition to the proposed transshipment port project, he said: “There are certain groups which are working very hard, and they are being fuelled by external agencies. The world is very complicated.”
The remarks come against the backdrop of an ongoing debate surrounding the ambitious Great Nicobar project, which includes plans for an international container transshipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, power infrastructure, and a township in the southernmost region of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.
The Union Minister underscored that infrastructure projects in strategically significant regions such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands should be assessed through the lens of India’s long-term national and strategic interests.
“Not every project is commercial. Many infrastructure projects are driven by the country’s strategic interests,” he said.
Without naming any particular organisation, Rijiju suggested that resistance to strategically significant projects should be viewed in a broader geopolitical context
His remarks are expected to introduce a fresh dimension to the continuing debate over the Great Nicobar development plan, one of India’s most ambitious strategic infrastructure projects currently under implementation.
During the discussion, Rijiju also highlighted the strategic importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, stating that India had historically failed to fully appreciate the importance of the archipelago.
“The problem was not geography; it was mindset,” he said, referring to what he described as decades of underappreciation of the islands’ potential.
He further said that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands would play an increasingly important role in India’s Indo-Pacific strategy and future economic growth.
“The 21st century will increasingly be shaped by developments in the Indo-Pacific region. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands occupy a critical position in this emerging geopolitical landscape,” he said.
Rijiju stressed that development initiatives in strategically sensitive regions must strike a balance between environmental sustainability, economic advancement, and national security imperatives.
Proponents of the Great Nicobar project regard it as a key element of India’s strategy to enhance its maritime footprint in the eastern Indian Ocean and capitalise on its proximity to the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors.
At the same time, environmentalists and conservation advocates have expressed concerns about the project’s ecological consequences, citing its potential impact on forests, biodiversity, and indigenous communities.
