Great Nicobar Island Project
SRI VIJAYA PURAM (PORT BLAIR): The ambitious Great Nicobar Island (GNI) project at the southernmost end of Indian territory, barely 80 nautical miles from the northernmost island of Indonesia, is now awaiting final Cabinet clearance in coming months after all necessary environmental approvals are in place, highly placed sources have revealed.
These sources, closely monitoring the progress of the project now estimated to be worth ₹1 lakh crore to be spent in two phases, said after a prolonged delay, first steps in rolling out the project are likely to be taken once the Union Cabinet clears the proposal.
Strategic Positioning
The Great Nicobar Island, close to the Malacca Strait, is the main waterway connecting the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. It sits astride important international sea lanes of communications. It’s not far from the Sunda and Lombok Straits in the South China Sea that allows Chinese shipping to traverse between South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The project includes four main components: developing an international container transshipment terminal (ICTT) at the Galathea Bay, a greenfield international airport, an integrated township and a 450 MVA gas and solar-based power plant on the island.
International Container Transshipment Terminal
The ICTT’s vision is to transform the island into a key participant in the regional as well as global maritime economy of cargo transshipment. It is in alignment with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and is one of the key projects under the Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
The first phase of the ICCT is likely to have a capacity of 4.4 million TEUs annually and will be complete within five years after contracts are awarded. The estimated cost of the first phase of the ICTT is about ₹20,000 crore. To be executed under the public-private partnership model, the proposed greenfield airport (with a peak capacity of 4000 passengers per hour) is also estimated to cost another ₹20,000 crore. In the second phase, the capacity of the ICTT is to be enhanced to 16.5 million TEUs. The eventual cost of the project will approximately turn out to be ₹100,000 crore, the sources added.
Focus On Renewable Energy
Meanwhile, on Friday a full meeting of the Island Development Authority (IDA), the apex body that oversees the holistic development of India’s island territories, held in Delhi under the chairmanship of Home Minister Amit Shah, decided to prioritise generation of energy through renewable sources including solar panels and windmills in both the Andaman and Nicobar as well as Lakshadweep islands. A statement from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) highlighted Shah’s remarks. “(Home Minister) Shah emphasized achieving the goal of 100 per cent renewable energy generation through solar panels and windmills in these regions. He also directed the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to implement the ‘PM Surya Ghar’ scheme by installing solar panels in all households across both island groups,” it said.
Admiral DK Joshi (Retd), Lt Governor of Andaman and Nicobar, as well as Vice Chairman of the IDA, Lakshadweep administrator Praful Patel, Union home secretary Govind Mohan and secretaries from various union ministries, along with other senior officials attended the meeting.
Galathea Bay Project
According to current indications, apart from the Galathea Bay project that involves building the ICTT, a greenfield airport and an integrated township, the A&N administration is undertaking several infrastructure projects designed to transform India’s strategically located A&N Islands from an outpost to a springboard for India’s ‘Act East’ policy.
For instance, IIT Madras will carry out a feasibility study to establish a bulk cargo transshipment-cum-tourism hub in Atlanta Bay near Diglipur in North Andamans. A twin use airport at Kohosa near Diglipur is nearing completion and can complement the proposed project, the A&N administration believes. The administration is planning for five berths of 800-metre length each at the proposed site since the sea has adequate deep draught to accommodate container ships carrying bulk cargo such as coal, iron ore, sand as well as cruise ships, highly placed sources said.
In addition, the A&N administration has also signed a 30-year Memorandum of Understanding with Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) to upgrade ship and boat repair yards in the island territories. Once operational, these yards will save shipping companies a costly trip to Chennai, Visakhapatnam or Kolkata for repairs. Sources in A&N administration also revealed that they can offer basic infrastructure, especially land and electricity, if major shipbuilding companies want to establish new campuses on the island territories.
Opposition To Great Nicobar Island Project
It is not all smooth sailing for the government though. Finding adequate and timely funding under the PPP model is a challenge. The A&N administration is also facing criticism and opposition from environment groups for impinging upon what they call biodiversity hotspot that is home to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG)—the Shompen and Nicobarese. However, on December 20, Lt Governor Adm. Joshi (Retd) told a conference at Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which had put a conditional stay on the project, has vacated it recently. Once the Union Cabinet clears the project, the tendering process will begin, he said. By all accounts, India’s most ambitious infrastructure project is thus set for a launch in 2025.
Nitin A Gokhale
