Bharat Rakshak

Once 'India' was made to dance to 'her' tunes. 'Bharat' refuses to.

GREAT NICOBAR PROJECT— STRATEGICALLY IMP TO BOOST BHARAT'S DEFENCE.

Obviously, Sonia Ghandy had to oppose it. This time in name of Environment. Now big egg on Ghandys Face!

NGT CLEARS ₹80000 CRORE PROJECT

“No good ground to interfere,” as there are “adequate safeguards” in the project’s environmental clearance:- NGT rules while noting it's Strategic Importance.

Project scale and components:
- 166 sq km project area
- Around 130 sq km forest diversion
- Transhipment port and integrated township
- Dual use civil military airport
- 450 MVA gas and solar power plant

This isn’t just an infra project.
It’s runway + port + power = Bharat's forward pivot in the Indian Ocean.

Ghandys tried their best to stop it for the best reason known to them. Sonia Ghandy even 'wrote' some stupid article why it must not be allowed to proceed. Today Ghandys & their Pvt Ltd Company called CONgress fall flat on face.

Ghandys losing grip on their Ecosystem & that's welcome sign for Bharat.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands administrator, Admiral DK Joshi, on Friday laid out the timeline for a new airport on the island chain, with reports suggesting it is being constructed to counter China’s influence in the Indian Ocean.

According to a Bloomberg report, it will serve as a new military airport in the Island chain to the southeast of the mainland at a cost of ₹15,000 crore ($1.6 billion). The project will simultaneously extend the runways of two existing military airstrips, a buildup aimed at countering China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean, the report added.

The new airport, which will also be used for tourism, will be constructed on Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost part of the archipelago, about 40 nautical miles from the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints.

The project is located in an ecologically sensitive region.

“We expect the first flights to start operating in around three years' time,” Admiral Joshi said in New Delhi on Friday

The former Indian Navy chief also added that the buildup will be “steered” by the defence ministry. He was speaking at the United Services Institution of India, a defence ministry-backed think tank.

The new airfield will have two runways and can sustain large aircraft, including civilian flights, he said.

The government approval

HT had reported earlier in February that the government had invited bids for marine geotechnical investigation work for a greenfield international airport at Chingenh on Great Nicobar Island to be developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Chingenh is one of the so-called pre-tsunami villages, from which tribals were relocated to various camps after the 2004 tsunami; they have since been seeking permission to return, but the administration hasn’t granted it.

The case went to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which ruled that adequate safeguards have been provided in the conditions for the environmental clearance (EC) to the Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project, underlining that there is no good ground for it to interfere.

The strategic importance

Roughly a third of global trade — and the bulk of China’s energy imports — passes through the Malacca Strait, which has become a strategic fulcrum as Beijing vies for influence in the Indo-Pacific. Its importance gives India a strong incentive to monitor, and potentially exert control over, shipping traffic between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

Expanding military infrastructure would enhance India’s ability to track Chinese naval movements and safeguard undersea communication cables. For the US, Japan and Australia, the effort highlights India’s role as a regional bulwark against China.

An Indian military installation on the northernmost islet will be refurbished, with its runway extended to accommodate larger aircraft. Admiral DK Joshi revealed that two other airfields in the archipelago, including the one in the island capital, Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly Port Blair, will undergo similar upgrades.

According to Bloomberg, India operates a large number of US-made long-range maritime surveillance aircraft and has recently approved the purchase of six additional planes. The aircraft will be able to operate from these facilities.

Sri Vijaya Puram, March 29: Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) conducted a large-scale joint military exercise, Exercise Dweep Shakti 2026, involving assets from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard, along with participation of troops and formations from across the country. The exercise was aimed at fine-tuning multi-domain joint warfighting capabilities and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), while enhancing interoperability and operational synergy among participating forces.

The exercise witnessed participation of elements from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard Components of ANC along with Special Forces and accretion forces from all three services. A wide spectrum of multi-domain operations were undertaken across land, sea and air domains, aimed at validating joint operational capabilities in a realistic and dynamic environment. Deployment of Army, Navy and Air assets across the islands, along with activation of key operational and support mechanisms in coordination with local Civil Administration of A&N, formed a vital component of the exercise.

Exercise Dweep Shakti 2026 demonstrated a high level of operational preparedness and robust military capability of the Indian Armed Forces in safeguarding India’s maritime interests and ensuring security of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The exercise showcased professionalism, coordination and synergy among various components of ANC and participating formations while executing complex joint operations in a dynamic environment.

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, PVSM, AVSM, NM, Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN), witnessed the exercise and commended participating troops from various formations for their professionalism and successful conduct of operations. Such exercises continue to strengthen defence preparedness while reinforcing commitment towards maintaining peace and security in the region.

chetak wrote: ↑20 Feb 2026 16:32

Once 'India' was made to dance to 'her' tunes. 'Bharat' refuses to.

GREAT NICOBAR PROJECT— STRATEGICALLY IMP TO BOOST BHARAT'S DEFENCE.
...

one political party's repeated pattern on national security:

From losing strategic leverage in past to decisions that hurt India’s maritime interests, the consequences are still visible today.

Now, when critical projects to strengthen island security & counter China are underway, the same mindset opposing them.

India can’t afford to repeat old mistakes

Kannur: Retired Indian armed forces officials have criticised Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for alleging large-scale land grabbing, ecological damage and administrative corruption in the Great Nicobar Project.

The former officers said the project is crucial for India's maritime security. They noted it will help monitor the Strait of Malacca and counter China's growing presence in the region.

Major General P Vivekanandan (Retd) told on Friday that India needs to guard the region and its freedom of movement. Backing the Great Nicobar Project, he also flagged concern over India's economy amid the use of foreign ports.

Major General Vivekanandan (Retd) said, "China has been trying to limit India's maritime mobility by establishing ports around our nation, which is known as the 'String of Pearls'. We need to safeguard our maritime interests and protect our economic zones. Since 2008, we have stopped developing the Greater Nicobar Island. We must ensure this area is developed swiftly. Because not only do we have to guard that area, we also have to see that our freedom of movement in the area is not restricted by any unwanted element. There are concerns, particularly regarding the development of an intercontinental trans-shipment container terminal. We are having a huge economic loss."

While Rahul Gandhi had alleged land grabbing to serve the interests of industrialists, Major General Vivekanandan maintained that co-opting industrialists does not amount to selling the region to them.

"So, in case we develop something similar in our own country, that economic advantage cannot be minimised. To achieve this, entities like Adani or other industrial players may have been co-opted, but that does not mean we are selling the area to them. There are concerns about habitat, ecology, and the coastal environment, and these need to be addressed by working with local communities to find sustainable solutions, which the people organising this initiative are already focusing on. Our administrators are fully aware of these issues and are addressing them," he added.

Air Vice Marshal PK Srivastava (Retd) noted the significance of the Strait of Malacca amid Iran's use of the Strait of Hormuz blockade against the United States in the West Asia war.

"We witnessed a new weapon in the US-Iran war. Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz. Through this project, we will be able to keep a watch on the Strait of Malacca. Once Great Nicobar develops, our commercial activity and military dominance & surveillance will increase," the retired Air Vice Marshal told ANI.

Former Director General of Border Roads Organisation (DG BRO) Rajeev Chaudhary mentioned the clearance for the project from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the government's efforts for afforestation in other parts of India as per the policy.

According to a press release, 7.11 lakh trees within 49.86 square kilometres of forest are expected to be felled for the project. While afforestation is planned in Haryana, with 97.30 square kilometres of land identified to compensate for Phase I diversion.

The former DG BRO refuted Rahul Gandhi's claims and said, "He is the LoP, and he has given very strong-worded messages, but none of them is right or true. This region was neglected since independence, and now, we are going into a strengthening of our strategic and economic hub in Great Nicobar. It was an essential project which was delayed for a long time. You can't permit China to come to Gwadar Port or Hambantota, and you are sitting quietly in Port Blair. We have to develop our assets strategically and economically. We are losing economically, a high percentage of the GDP, in handling of foreign ports. This island is closer to Myanmar, and our relationships can be strengthened."

Backing the Centre, he termed the plan "foolproof" and said that the government will preserve the flora and fauna residing in the islands.

Former DG BRO Chaudhary said, "NGT has given a clearance to the project after due process. The concerns voiced by groups and individuals are about the forest, marine life and tribal population displacement. The 8-10 lakh trees from the 137 square km on the island will have to be cut. These trees will be planted in Haryana and MP, as per the policy in place, as there is no space to plant them on Great Nicobar. The government plans to shift the Leatherback sea turtles to two nearby islands. The corals and coastal biodiversity will be preserved, and no destruction will happen. There have been deliberate efforts to protect flora and fauna, forests, and marine life there."

"The government has made a plan under which there will be zero displacement. But in the later phases, if needed, the people from here will be shifted to other islands with their consent. The plan is foolproof, and nothing of the sort will happen, as it is being said by some important people about the displacement of tribes and nature," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleged large-scale land grabbing, claiming that tribal rights and environmental safeguards were being undermined amid the Great Nicobar Project.

The Raebareli MP added that settlers and tribal people were not getting proper compensation.

Speaking to reporters in Vijayapuram, Gandhi said, "Your land is being taken away from you and being given to Adani and other big businessmen. The Forest Rights Act isn't being implemented there. Settlers and tribals aren't getting proper compensation. quietly, India's heritage is being stolen. We'll try to change perception and tell countrymen what's happening here, and try to protect the people of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands."
(For this statement he should be tried for treason)

He further alleged administrative issues in the region, saying, "Here in Andaman, there is a water issue, and there's the corruption from the LG's side. He is like a king; he does whatever they want. He has named his house and office as Lok Bhavan, but he does not meet anyone. The public should be heard and respected. This is not a dictatorship."

Gandhi also raised environmental concerns, stating that the main issue here is ecological theft.

"I wanted to talk about what's happening in the Nicobar and Andaman Islands. The main issue here is ecological theft. Trees worth lakhs of crores of rupees are being stolen, and the land that's being snatched is the main issue," Gandhi added.

According to the government, the Great Nicobar Project seeks to transform Great Nicobar into a strategic maritime and economic hub by leveraging its proximity (about 40 nautical miles) to the East-West shipping route and reducing dependence on foreign transshipment ports, keeping in view the defence and National Security purposes.

The project will take place in three phases in about 22 years. The Great Nicobar Project is fully aligned with the Shompen Policy of 2015 and the Jarawa Policy of 2004, which mandate that large-scale development proposals prioritise the welfare and integrity of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and follow a structured consultation process.

chetak wrote: ↑02 May 2026 17:24

and then rhere is this little matter........

Lisa wrote: ↑02 May 2026 19:45

chetak wrote: ↑02 May 2026 17:24

and then rhere is this little matter........


[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HHN9mi3aUAA ... =large[img]

Is RTI applicable to such and agreement?

ormer Chief of the Air Staff of India, RK Bhadauria, backs the Great Nicobar project, calling it vital for India’s strategic, military and economic interests, while stressing balanced development alongside environmental safeguards and tribal community protection

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Given that the PLA is making one ship every seven days, India has no options but to develop long range capabilities in its island territories of Lakshadweep and Andamans and Nicobar Island. It is only then that India can enforce sea-denial, sea-access deterrence as well as build leverages in the IOR against any potential rival. Apart from maritime security, India’s island territories hold huge economic potential for the country with world class transshipment hubs on the eastern as well as western seaboard of the country.
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India, May 3 -- There are moments in geopolitics when a single infrastructure project changes the calculus of an entire region. The Great Nicobar Island Development Project is one such moment. A sprawling, $10 billion initiative to transform India's southernmost island into a commercial and military hub, it has the potential to fundamentally alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. For Beijing, it represents not merely a strategic inconvenience but something approaching an existential threat. To understand why China would be desperate to see this project fail, delayed, or diluted, one must first understand the single most dangerous word in Beijing's strategic vocabulary: Malacca.:
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In 1919, 1 man bought a Ghost Ship & challenged the entire British Navy. They tried to bankrupt him with a Zero-Price war, but he won by turning a ferry ticket into a vote for Freedom. From building India’s 1st aircraft factory in secret to carving railway tunnels through impassable mountains, he was the Industrial Guerilla who taught a colony how to fly, sail, & drive. Discover the man who made Made in India a threat to the Empire.

He is the man who looked at the British "No Entry" signs across Indian industry & decided to build a sledgehammer.

After WWI, the British shipping giant BI (British India Steam Navigation) had a total monopoly on Indian waters. No Indian was allowed to own a large-scale shipping line. On 5th Apr 1919, just days before the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, an Indian man, with no background in shipping, Walchand Hirachand Doshi spotted a ship called the SS Loyalty in Bombay harbor. It was a hospital ship being sold after WWI. W/o waiting for a license, he bought it & launched the SS Loyalty, the 1st ship of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company.

The British tried to sink him financially. They started a Price War, dropping ticket prices to almost zero to bankrupt Walchand. Walchand did not blink. He appealed to Indian pride. He told the public: "Even if their tickets are free, if you travel with them, you travel in chains." Indians chose to pay for Walchand's tickets. He broke the 100 yr British naval monopoly. This is why 5th April is still celebrated as National Maritime Day.

The British govt in India had a strict policy: "India will produce raw materials; Britain will produce machines." They flatly refused to give a license for an Indian car factory. Walchand realized he could not wait for permission. He went to the USA & met Walter Chrysler.

He told Chrysler, I want to build an Indian car for Indian roads. Chrysler was impressed by his grit. Together, they bypassed British red tape to set up Premier Automobiles (the birthplace of the legendary Padmini/Fiat). He proved that an Indian could build an engine, not just a bullock cart.

During WWII, the British were desperate for aircraft maintenance in the East but did not want Indians to know the secrets of aviation. Walchand did not ask the British. In Oct 1939, Walchand was returning from the United States (where he had gone to explore setting up a car factory, including talks with Chrysler).

On a Pan Am Clipper flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong, he had a chance meeting with American industrialist William D. Pawley (president of Intercontinent Corporation and involved in aircraft manufacturing for China). Pawley was on his way to China to support aircraft production there (for the Chinese government amid the war with Japan).

During the flight, Walchand discussed his ambitions with Pawley, who shared insights from his China operations. This conversation sparked the idea for an aircraft factory in India. With the help of Maharaja of Mysore, he set up Hindustan Aircraft Ltd. (now HAL) in Bangalore in 1940. When the British realized what he had done, they were furious but had to nationalize it because they needed the planes for the war effort.

Every time we see a Tejas/a Sukhoi take off today, remember that the runway was laid by Walchand’s defiance in 1940.

Walchand’s company, Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), was responsible for the Bhor Ghat & Thull Ghat railway tunnels. British engineers said the Sahyadri mountains were too tough for Indian contractors. They wanted to give the contracts to London firms. Walchand took the contract, used indigenous techniques, & completed the tunnels ahead of schedule & at a lower cost. He proved that Indian Civil Engineering could move mountains.. literally.

Despite being 1 of the richest men in India, Walchand was a symbol of the Swadeshi spirit. He would walk into boardrooms with British Lords & present his papers in Marathi/Gujarati if he felt they were being condescending. His agenda was clear: "I do not want to be a rich man in a poor country; I want to be a productive man in a rich country.

Walchand Hirachand was the Architect of Infrastructure. If Tata built the Steel, Walchand built the Speed.... the ships, the cars, & the planes. He was the 1st Indian to understand that true independence is the ability to move our own people on our own machines.

He was the man who turned "Made in India" from a dream into a Turbine. He did not just compete with the British; he made them irrelevant in their own specialized fields.

India’s $10 billion Great Nicobar Island Development Project, a commercial-military initiative, could alter the strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific, as it may emerge as New Delhi's observation point for Chinese commercial and energy ships passing through the Strait of Malacca. Recent media reports and analysis have highlighted how the military and commercial infrastructure developments in India's southernmost point could alter geostrategic and defence equations in the Indo-Pacific region. Here is what you should know.

Why the Strait of Malacca is important for China

About $3.5 trillion in global trade moves through the Strait of Malacca every year, including around two-thirds of Chinese maritime traffic. One of the world’s narrow maritime chokepoints - only 2.8 km wide at its narrowest point - the Strait of Malacca is used by China to ship 80 per cent of its oil imports each year. The potential blocking or disruption of this strait in the event of a conflict, such as over Taiwan, is a major strategic concern for China.

Why the Great Nicobar project is a power move by India

Great Nicobar Island, the southernmost point of Indian territory, lies near the northern approaches to the Strait of Malacca and overlooks the Six Degree Channel, through which much of Chinese maritime trade passes. India launched the Great Nicobar project in 2021. Construction is progressing on a deep-water transhipment port at Galathea Bay, an international airport, township infrastructure, and a 450 MVA gas- and solar-based power plant. With a natural depth of 18–20 metres, the port is planned to handle 4 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units by 2028.

Military significance of the Great Nicobar project

But the real story is about the emerging Indian military capabilities in Great Nicobar, which could soon become a major naval hub capable of monitoring Chinese ship movements, both commercial and military, including submarine activity. To this extent, there are already signs of India expanding strategic facilities across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, of which Great Nicobar Island is a part. The recent developments include the building of a second airfield at Chingen, expansion of INS Baaz — the southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces — at Campbell Bay, new radar and underwater surveillance systems, and improved naval communications infrastructure.

China is likely to view these developments as threats to its sea lines of communication during a conflict. Chinese shipping routes from the Middle East pass close to India’s maritime zone, and India could potentially monitor or restrict Chinese energy flows from the vantage point of Great Nicobar.

China’s infrastructure projects can be seen as attempts to build alternatives to the Strait of Malacca

The Belt and Road Initiative, China’s massive infrastructure project involving multiple nations, could be interpreted as an attempt to create alternatives to the Strait of Malacca for its commercial and energy shipment needs. China’s efforts to create a network of ports and infrastructure across the Indian Ocean include Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka, and Kyaukphyu in Myanmar. This is part of China’s decades-long “string of pearls” strategy, which India could now counter with its moves in Great Nicobar.

Andamans could emerge as India’s new commercial shipping hub

Once fully developed, the commercial aspect of the Great Nicobar project, particularly the transhipment hub, could reduce India’s dependence on foreign logistics infrastructure for moving its cargo, 25 per cent of which currently passes through foreign ports.

This could help India emerge as a commercial competitor along the sea lines of communication between the Indian Ocean and the Strait of Malacca.

With this strategic move in the Andamans, India may evolve from a passive power in the Indo-Pacific into one capable of influencing or disrupting some of China’s most vital trade and energy routes.

The Great Nicobar Project has become one of the most contested strategic initiatives undertaken by the central government in recent times. At the core of the debate lies an essential national security intervention aimed at securing Indian interests in the evolving geopolitical architecture in the Indo-Pacific.

The project spans across a proposed International Container Transhipment Port (ICTP) at Galathea Bay, the Greenfield International Airport, a 450 MVA (Megavolt Ampere) gas and solar-based power plant and a new township spanning 16,610 hectares.

However, the Great Nicobar Project has also attracted criticism from opposition parties, scientists and civil society groups, particularly over its environmental impact and the potential consequences for indigenous communities, even though the project was cleared by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in February 2026 by a six-member bench.

The tribunal upheld the Great Nicobar Island infrastructure project, declining to interfere with the environmental clearance granted in 2022. The bench underscored the project’s strategic significance for both national security and economic development while simultaneously emphasising the need for stringent adherence to environmental safeguards.

Importance of the island

The island’s importance begins with its geography. Located near the western approaches of the Strait of Malacca, Great Nicobar sits alongside one of the busiest maritime corridors in the world through which a substantial share of global trade, including critical energy flows from the Middle East to East Asia. However, India currently does not fully benefit from that traffic.

The island offers a chance to change that. For India, this is not just proximity, but it is a strategic opportunity. It offers a rare advantage and ability to observe, monitor and potentially influence key sea lanes without overt confrontation. The project is a deliberate national security intervention aimed at repositioning India in the context of the evolving geopolitical architecture of the Indo-Pacific, particularly in response to China’s expanding maritime strategy.

In the past few decades, Beijing has steadily built a network of ports and logistics nodes across the Indian Ocean from Gwadar in Pakistan to Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Kyaukpyu in Myanmar and an overseas military base in Djibouti. This network represents China’s “String of Pearls” strategy, an effort to protect vital energy sea lines and expand its geopolitical influence in the Indian Ocean Region.

While these projects are formally presented as commercial infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), many carry clear dual-use potential, enabling logistical support for naval deployments when required.

For India, China’s expanding footprint in Myanmar is particularly consequential. Developments along the Rakhine coast, combined with pipelines and overland connectivity linking Yunnan to the Bay of Bengal, have created a strategic corridor that allows Beijing partial access to the Indian Ocean, somewhat solving China’s “Malacca Dilemma”.

Chinese presence on Myanmar’s Great Coco Islands, only about 55 km away from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has also increased. While it is futile to debate whether the “presence” is a permanent base or not, it is clear that there has been airstrip expansion, construction of hangars and installation of communication towers. Considering the proximity to India’s most critical maritime command, even modest infrastructure on these islands can translate into a significant advantage in surveillance, extending strategic reach across the Bay of Bengal.

Not a binary debate

Against this backdrop, the argument that environmental concerns alone should stall Great Nicobar appears increasingly limited. The NGT’s decision itself observes that the project is permissible not in the absence of safeguards but alongside enforceable ecological conditions, including coral relocation and species protection. This undercuts the absolutist environmental critique advanced by sections of the opposition, which often treats development and conservation as mutually exclusive.

But neither is this the first time, nor is India the only country to have faced opposition and been put in a position where it has had to walk a tightrope between environmental concerns and strategic trade-offs. Over the years, there have been several examples across the world of how states have managed to prioritise strategic objectives.

For instance, the Panama Canal fundamentally reshaped global trade but came at a high ecological and human cost during its construction. Despite early criticism, it became an indispensable artery of maritime commerce. Singapore’s transformation into a global port hub involved extensive land reclamation, which altered coastlines and marine ecosystems. The US military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean remains controversial due to the displacement of local populations.

More recently, China built artificial islands with a total area of close to 3,000 acres on seven coral reefs it occupies in the Spratly Islands in the southern part of the South China Sea. Additionally, there is a gradual development of the Paracel Islands. These are operational military hubs equipped with 3,000 metre runways, missile systems and advanced radar and surveillance infrastructure.

The result was the creation of a sustained and permanent Chinese presence in contested waters. Beijing’s transformation of these islands and many more are clear examples of how strategic imperatives can override environmental concerns.

Supporting the Great Nicobar Project is not an argument against environmental responsibility, nor does it seek to dismiss legitimate ecological or social concerns. Rather, it is a call to approach the issue with a wider strategic lens that recognises the stakes for India’s long-term security and economic resilience while understanding geopolitical positioning.

The debate should not be reduced to a binary choice between development and conservation. Instead, it must acknowledge that in a rapidly evolving Indo-Pacific, control over sea lanes and maritime infrastructure is increasingly shaping power. Therefore, the debate requires a reset, transforming from environment vs security to responsible development or strategic inertia because the cost of inaction can be permanent, as geopolitical space once ceded can rarely be reclaimed.