NEW DELHI: Attacking the Modi government over the Great Nicobar project, the Congress on Friday said there seems to be no end to the march of "grave ecological folly" there and asserted that genuine local and national interest demands that the venture not be taken forward.
Congress general secretary and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh said the public battle for saving Great Nicobar continues even though the Modi government is now 'planting' new reasons for going ahead with it.
"There seems to be no end to the march of grave ecological folly in Great Nicobar," Ramesh said on X.
First, there is the Great Nicobar Island Development Project -- transshipment port, airport, and vast tourism complexes -- that is being "bulldozed" through with environmental and forest clearances having been given in clear violation of all rules, procedures, and guidelines, he said.
The Calcutta High Court is hearing five separate challenges to this disaster of a project but the Modi government is supremely unmindful, unconcerned, and unmoved, Ramesh said.
"Second, comes news that on August 10, 2026, that the local administration had announced plans for establishing big energy-guzzling data centres in notified areas around Little Andaman and Great Nicobar," he said.
"But, mysteriously, within a fortnight, these plans were withdrawn citing 'administrative reasons.' Hopefully this withdrawal will be permanent," Ramesh said.
Genuine local and national interest demands that the project not be taken forward, Ramesh said.
He also shared a media report which stated that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration has withdrawn an Expression of Interest (Eol) seeking feasibility proposals for a private sector-led green Al data centre on the islands.
The Congress has alleged that the Great Nicobar Island Project as presently conceived is "overwhelmingly a commercial enterprise" and the unique biodiversity of the area is being endangered.
