NEW DELHI — A go to by India’s president to the largely unspoiled Andaman and Nicobar Islands has intensified a debate over the best way to handle the clashing aims of financial improvement and environmental preservation.

The islands lie practically 1,300 kilometers east of Sri Lanka, a lot nearer to Southeast Asia. The Indian authorities is planning a $9 billion megaproject to rework a part of the isles into what has been dubbed a South Asian “Hong Kong,” full with a world airport, a transport terminal, tourism services, an influence plant and an industrial park. New Delhi says this may assist unleash the area’s potential as a transport hub and journey vacation spot, whereas environmentalists warn that untrammeled building would threaten native ecology and indigenous tribes.