Projects worth Rs 75,000 crore on Great Nicobar island shown green flag

The projects will need the felling of over 800,000 trees and the loss of 12-20 hectares of mangrove forests, leading to a considerable loss to corals and claiming over 298 hectares of the sea bed

The environment ministry's panel on Wednesday approved the controversial 16,610 hectares project on Great Nicobar island. The project that is expected to cost Rs 75,000 crore will include the construction of a greenfield international airport, an international container terminal, a township, and a power plant, a report by Economic Times (ET) stated. 

"The Indian Ocean Region in general and the Indian Ocean, in particular, has turned into a strategic hotspot in recent years. In response to the increasing strategic value of this IOR, a critical mass of development in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is necessary for strengthening India's regional