Manickam Tagore, a Member of Parliament from the Congress party, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a review of the environmental and forest clearances granted to the Great Nicobar Island project. The project, which has faced considerable controversy, involves the construction of an international container transshipment terminal, a township, an airport, and a power plant on the remote island.

Tagore's appeal highlights concerns about the due process followed in granting the necessary clearances, urging the Prime Minister to direct the Union ministries of tribal affairs, and environment and forests, to conduct an independent review of the process followed to grant forest clearances and divert forest land in Nicobar.

The Great Nicobar Island project has been the subject of much debate, with environmental activists, former bureaucrats, and members of the opposition raising concerns about its potential ecological and humanitarian consequences. The project is estimated to cost ₹81,000 crore and could result in the felling of nearly a million trees.

A key point of contention revolves around the categorization of the project site under coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms. A previous assessment by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) indicated that parts of the project, including the port, fell within the CRZ 1A zone, which is considered ecologically sensitive and where most development activities are prohibited. However, a later assessment by the NCSCM concluded that the project area falls within the CRZ 1B zone, where ports and harbors are permitted. This change in categorization has raised questions about the integrity of the assessment process, with critics suggesting that it may have been manipulated to facilitate the project.

Adding to the controversy, there are allegations that the Andaman and Nicobar administration has misrepresented its compliance with the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Jairam Ramesh, a Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, has accused the administration of falsely claiming that the rights of local tribal communities under the FRA have been identified and settled, and that the consent of affected tribal communities has been lawfully obtained. In November 2022, the Tribal Council of Great and Little Nicobar Islands reportedly withdrew its no-objection certificate for the project after learning that it would destroy ancestral villages of the Nicobarese, who were relocated after the 2004 tsunami.

Despite these concerns, the government has maintained that the project is of strategic and national importance and that it has undergone a thorough review process under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has stated that the decision to proceed with the project was made after considering its environmental impact. However, critics argue that the project is being pushed forward without adequate consideration for its potential ecological and social consequences.

The Congress party has been particularly vocal in its opposition to the project, with leaders like Jairam Ramesh calling for a thorough and impartial review by the parliamentary panel on environment. Ramesh has described the project as an "environmental and humanitarian disaster" and has called for the suspension of existing clearances.