Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday, June 5, 2026 — World Environment Day — shared a conversation with two of India's foremost specialists on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, flagging what he described as critical ecological stakes surrounding the proposed development projects at Great Nicobar.

Context

Gandhi sat down with Dr. Manish Chandi, an ecologist and biodiversity researcher with deep fieldwork experience in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Dr. Vardhan Patankar, a marine biologist specialising in coral reefs, fish populations, and coastal ecosystems of the Nicobar group. The post references concerns ranging from leatherback turtles that travel entire ocean basins to nest at Galathea Bay, to birds, fish, and broader biodiversity under pressure.

The timing — on World Environment Day — amplifies the political signal: that the ecological cost of infrastructure ambitions in the islands demands public scrutiny at the highest legislative level.

Policy Backdrop

The Great Nicobar holistic development plan, which includes a container transshipment terminal, an international airport, and a township, received in-principle government approval in the early 2020s as part of India's broader maritime infrastructure push in the Indian Ocean region. The project is centred on Galathea Bay, which is recognised as one of the most significant nesting sites in the world for the leatherback sea turtle — the largest living turtle species and a critically tracked marine animal.

Dr. Chandi has long documented the biodiversity and indigenous community dynamics of these islands, while Dr. Patankar's research has focused on the marine ecosystems that would be directly affected by port construction and associated dredging. Environmental and tribal-rights advocates have raised repeated objections through clearance and implementation phases of the project.

Stakeholders and Impact

The project sits at the intersection of several competing interests: strategic maritime goals, port-led economic development, the rights of indigenous tribal communities on the island, and the protection of a UNESCO-recognised biodiversity hotspot. Local fishermen whose livelihoods depend on reef ecosystems are also directly affected.

Leatherback turtles, which cross entire oceans and return to the same beaches to nest, are particularly vulnerable to coastal construction and light pollution. Conservationists argue that Galathea Bay's nesting population represents an irreplaceable natural heritage, and that industrial-scale port activity would be incompatible with its protection.

Gandhi's decision to engage credentialed domain experts — rather than make purely partisan arguments — positions the conversation as a science-grounded challenge to the project's environmental clearance conditions and impact assessments.

What's Next

Parliamentary questions on tribal consent processes, revised environmental impact assessments, and the specific conditions attached to clearances for the Great Nicobar project are expected to remain active pressure points. With the Leader of the Opposition now publicly amplifying expert ecological voices, the issue is likely to resurface in Lok Sabha proceedings and in the broader public debate over India's infrastructure-versus-environment trade-offs in its island territories.