Conference Will be a Game Changer for Isles’ Development: MP
Port Blair, Aug 25: The Member of Parliament, Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma upon knowing about India getting opportunity for hosting its maiden G20 Summit in the year 2022 has requested the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to hold one of the conference of the G20 in these Islands. This will prove as game changer to bring about socio-economic and geo-economic developments in these Islands .
Sharma in his communication addressed to the Prime Minister of India expressed that it is most heartening, overwhelming and encouraging for all of us to know that India for the first time will be holding G-20 summit in the year 2022 and the year has been preferred to coincide with the nation celebrating 75 year since Independence.
Inspired from the motive to choose 2022 for holding G20 summit in India, Sharma said, Andaman & Nicobar Islands has played very integral and dominant role in the freedom struggle of India and to our honour the first Indian Flag was hoisted in these Islands by Netaji Subash Chandra Bose on 30th December 1943. Conducting one of the conferences of the G-20 Summit in these Islands will be a real tribute to the freedom fighters in year when India shall be celebrating its 75th Anniversary of Independence.
He further expressed that from the socio economic point of view and considering the strategic location of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, its development potential in terms of tourism & maritime resources, the government needs to accord high priority to these Islands. Accordingly an apex body namely Island Development Agency (IDA) was constituted in June 2017, which has mandated NITI Aayog to formulate holistic and sustainable development programme for the Islands with an intend to boost economic development and to contribute towards employment generation for the local youths.
Accordingly, several high value projects for development of roads, sea and air connectivity, clean energy generation, construction of resorts, digital connectivity, healthcare, education and port etc. has been planned for execution. In the tourism sector mega projects in Long Island, Smith Island, Aves Island and Shaheed Dweep with an investment of Rs.650 crores has been planned on Private Public Partnership mode. For high speed digital connectivity establishment of an undersea optical fibre cable system from Chennai to Port Blair and to six other Islands is underway and is anticipated to complete by June 2020 at an estimated capital cost of Rs.950 crores.
To cater to the need of the international tourism and to open the gateway for South East Asian Countries, a most modern world class air terminal building at an estimated cost of Rs.417 crores is being constructed at Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair, which is likely to become operational by end 2020. Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme introduction of flight connecting Diglipur, Car Nicobar and Campbell Bay for commutation and to promote tourism is on anvil. As a part of Sagarmala project and on the principle of ‘ACT EAST’ policy, a Transshipment Terminal with Free Trade & Ware Housing Zone at South Bay in Campbell Bay, which is in close proximity to the world’s busiest sea trade route of Malacca Strait is planned to developed under the private-public-partnership mode to provide Indian shippers an alternative to the Colombo, Singapore and Port Klang (Malaysia) transshipment ports.
The Island’s MP in his communiqué has invited the attention of the Prime Minister Modi, as the government has plans to develop the strategically located Andaman & Nicobar Islands by inviting global investors for a wide range of social and infrastructure development programs primarily on Private Public Partnership (PPP) mode of investment, it would be prudent on the part of central government to conduct of one of the conferences of G-20 Summit in these Islands, which will automatically attract the attention of the whole world and the developmental programme envisaged to boost the socio-economic conditions of these Islands primarily intended to contribute towards employment generation for the local youths, will get a wider acceptance in terms of investments and also for future socio-economic and geo-economic sustenance of these Islands.