Jairam Ramesh Urges Rajnath Singh to Reconsider INS Baaz Expansion on Great Nicobar

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to reconsider the government’s decision to reject the full expansion of the INS Baaz Naval Air Station on Great Nicobar Island, arguing that an expansion could reduce ecological damage compared to the proposed greenfield airport project on the island. The appeal comes amid renewed debate over the environmental and strategic implications of large-scale infrastructure development in the ecologically sensitive region.

In his letter, Ramesh referred to recent media reports citing the Defence Ministry’s position that INS Baaz at Campbell Bay cannot be extended beyond 4,500 feet due to environmental constraints. He questioned this assessment and suggested that expanding the existing naval air station could be a less damaging alternative compared to building a new airport at Gandhi Nagar–Shastri Nagar, which has already raised environmental concerns among experts and policymakers.

The issue is part of the broader Great Nicobar Island development plan, which includes proposals for a major airport, port infrastructure, and associated urban development. Critics of the project have repeatedly flagged the ecological sensitivity of the region, pointing to its biodiversity, fragile coastal systems, and seismic vulnerability. Supporters, however, argue that the development is strategically important given the island’s location in the Indian Ocean region.

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Ramesh also criticised the Defence Ministry for what he described as a delay of over six years in making a clear public statement regarding the expansion feasibility of INS Baaz. He suggested that clearer and earlier communication could have helped avoid confusion over competing infrastructure proposals and their environmental implications.

The debate over Great Nicobar’s development has intensified in recent years, with environmental groups, policymakers, and strategic analysts weighing competing priorities of ecological preservation and national security. The government has maintained that all projects undergo environmental clearance processes, but opposition leaders continue to demand greater transparency and reassessment of high-impact proposals.

As discussions continue, the issue remains politically sensitive, with infrastructure planning in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands increasingly viewed through the dual lens of strategic necessity and environmental sustainability. The latest exchange between Ramesh and the Defence Ministry is expected to further fuel scrutiny of how large-scale development projects are being evaluated in ecologically fragile zones.

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