Sri Vijaya Puram, June 12: Admiral D K Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd.), Hon’ble Lt. Governor, A&N Islands and Vice-Chairman, Islands Development Agency highlighted the remarkable transformation of the Islands and their growing strategic importance during a conference organized by the India Foundation on “Andaman and Nicobar: Development, Security and Ecology” held at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.
Delivering the inaugural address, Hon’ble Lt. Governor outlined the significant strides made by the Union Territory under the vision of Viksit Bharat. The conference commenced with opening remarks by President, India Foundation, Shri Ram Madhav.
The Hon’ble Lt. Governor emphasized that A&N Islands are rapidly emerging as a key pillar of India’s maritime and defence architecture in the Indo-Pacific region. He highlighted major infrastructure initiatives, including the development of world-class tourism facilities (5 Star Hotels), expansion of aviation infrastructure with four full-length runways exceeding three kilometres. He also spoke about transformative project such as the proposed International Container Transshipment Port and the holistic development of Great Nicobar Island. He also mentioned that A&N Islands is reshaping India’s maritime & defense future.
Referring to the recent achievement of two Guinness World Records related to underwater activities, Hon’ble Lt. Governor noted that such initiatives have significantly boosted the global profile of the Islands and promote the Islands as a premier global destination for scuba diving.
Hon’ble Lt. Governor further highlighted the completion of the Azad Hind Fauj Setu and ongoing efforts towards the construction of the Middle Strait Bridge. Plans for a greenfield international airport at Great Nicobar & Sri Vijaya Puram, runway extensions at INS Baaz and INS Kohassa, and enhanced digital connectivity through a 200 Gbps Optical Fibre Cable network were also showcased. He also highlighted about the proposed submarine cable plans to Katchal, Teressa & Nicobar.
Highlighting the Islands’ sustainable development agenda, Hon’ble Lt. Governor underlined the Administration’s commitment to achieving 100 per cent de-dieselization by 2029 and the exploration of Small Modular Reactor technology. He informed that A&N Islands are emerging as a major hydrocarbon exploration hotspot, with Guyana-scale potential indicated by the discovery of methane-rich natural gas (around 87% methane) at SVP-2 and SVP-3 along with crude oil and condensate indications on Jan 27 by ONGC.
Tourism initiatives such as the Blue Flag certification of Radhanagar Beach and the proposed “Ten Beach Vision” were highlighted as key components of the Islands’ tourism growth strategy.
Hon’ble Lt. Governor also outlined the vision for developing a deep-water port at Atlanta Bay and positioning the Islands as a major shipbuilding and ship-repair hub in the Indian Ocean Region.
Stating that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are no longer a “tiny, unknown group of Islands,” Hon’ble Lt. Governor said they are steadily emerging as India’s gateway to the Indo-Pacific and a vital driver of the nation’s future growth.