India’s ambitious Rs. 81,000-crore Great Nicobar development project aims to transform the remote island into a strategic maritime and economic hub, complete with a deep-water port, international airport, and modern township. While policymakers tout its geopolitical and economic significance, environmentalists and tribal rights groups warn of irreversible ecological destruction and cultural erosion. The project could lead to the loss of 8.5 lakh trees, threaten endangered species like leatherback turtles, and disrupt the lives of indigenous communities.