Mega ports at Vadhavan in Maharashtra and Galathea Bay in Great Nicobar are also central to the plan, aiming to boost port capacity, attract transhipment cargo, and create over 1.2 million jobs.

But there is trouble in paradise. Under the Great Nicobar Development Project, an international airport, a trans-shipment terminal, a township and a power plant are proposed at Galathea Bay. This ...