Now Reading: Pankaj Sekhsaria wins Prem Bhatia award for Great Nicobar reporting
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Pankaj Sekhsaria wins Prem Bhatia award for Great Nicobar reporting
Pankaj Sekhsaria wins Prem Bhatia award for Great Nicobar reporting
Frontline contributor Pankaj Sekhsaria has won the Prem Bhatia Award for Excellence in Environmental Journalism 2026 for his reporting on the ecological and social costs of the Great Nicobar project. He shares…
The Story in Brief
Frontline contributor Pankaj Sekhsaria has won the Prem Bhatia Award for Excellence in Environmental Journalism 2026 for his reporting on the ecological and social costs of the Great Nicobar project. He shares the award with Rohini Krishnamurthy of Down to Earth. The award was presented on August 12, 2026, and is now administered by the Editors Guild of India.
Sekhsaria has documented the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for over three decades. His work focused on the proposed transhipment port, airport, and township, and the threats to forests, biodiversity, and indigenous communities. In 2024, Frontline published ‘The Great Nicobar Betrayal’, a book of essays edited by Sekhsaria that extends his journalism on the megaproject.
The Indian Opinion
This award raises a familiar question: does environmental reporting hold back development? The Great Nicobar project has been framed both as a national necessity and an ecological disaster. The truth is more nuanced. The Rs 72,000 crore plan does threaten a fragile island and its indigenous people, but blanket dismissal ignores legitimate strategic aims. The real test will be whether the government releases a full, independent environmental impact assessment and allows public scrutiny before proceeding further.
Source: frontline.thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
