Overview
- The Centre has approved a new ₹13,000 crore greenfield civilian‑cum‑naval airport at Chingen near Galathea Bay as part of the Great Nicobar master plan and will keep the facility under Indian Navy operational control with a target completion of about five years.
- The airport decision replaces earlier plans to expand the INS Baaz runway after studies found terrain, navigational and environmental limits made a brownfield extension unviable.
- Administrative moves connected to trunk infrastructure have begun with resettlement and rehabilitation document verification and a census process for affected families as land‑acquisition steps advance.
- Officials cite an environmental assessment that limits development to 166.1 sq km and a dedicated ₹2,220.41 crore, 30‑year conservation fund, but scientists, tribal councils and opposition leaders continue to warn of lasting harm to reefs, primary rainforest and indigenous rights.
- The project bundles an International Container Transshipment Port, township and power plant inside a roughly ₹81,000 crore package intended to reduce reliance on foreign transshipment hubs and expand India’s operational reach near the Six Degree Channel and Malacca shipping lanes.