Andaman and Nicobar islands

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• • Located at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, the union territory of India known as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, also known as the Emarald Islands, is made up of 572 islands, 38 of which are inhabited.
  • The Andaman Sea divides the region from Thailand and Myanmar, and it is located roughly 150 km north of Aceh, Indonesia.
  • It is made up of two groups of islands: the Nicobar Islands and the Andaman Islands, which are divided by the 150-kilometer-wide Ten Degree Channel, which is located on the 10°N parallel.
  • The Arakan Mountains are extended underwater by the island chains. The North, Middle, and South are the three main islands that make up the Andaman Islands.
  • South Andaman is home to Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • Little Andaman and South Andaman are divided by the Duncan Passage. The North Andaman Islands and the Myanmar Coco Islands are separated by the Coco Strait.
  • The only active volcanoes in India are the Barren and Narcondam Islands, which are located north of Port Blair.
  • The highest peak in the North Andaman is Saddle Peak (737 m).
  • Neil Island and Havelock Island are located in Ritchie’s Archipelago, a collection of smaller islands situated 20 km east of the Great Andaman.
  • Shaheed Dweep is the new name for Neil Island, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep is the new name for Ross Island in the South Andaman, and Swaraj Dweep is the new name for Havelock Island.
  • There are thick tropical rainforests on the Islands.
  • Four ‘Negrito’ tribes—the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Sentinelese—live in the Andaman Islands.
  • The Shompen and Nicobarese are two ‘Mongoloid’ tribes that live in the Nicobar Islands.
  • It is thought that the ‘Negrito’ tribes came to the islands from Africa some 60,000 years ago.
  • The Andaman and Nicobar Command, the sole tri-service geographical command of the Indian Armed Forces, is based on these islands.

Positioning of the A&N Islands strategically:

• • The islands are situated 1,300 kilometres, or 700 nautical miles, southeast of the Indian mainland.
  • Less than a day’s steaming from Port Blair gets you to the Malacca Strait, the main waterway that connects the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.
  • The northernmost tip of the Andamans is only 18 nautical miles away from Coco Island (Myanmar), and Sabang (Indonesia) is 90 nautical miles southeast of Indira Point (on Great
    Nicobar Island).
  • About 350 nautical miles east of Port Blair would be the mouth of the Kra Canal, which Thailand plans to build to connect the Gulf of Thailand with the Andaman Sea.
  • The islands are bordered by four international maritime zones that India shares with Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia.
  • Additionally, they grant India a sizable amount of ocean space in terms of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Conference on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS).

What Role Do the A&N Islands Play in International Relations?

• • The necessity of developing the A&N group of Islands has become somewhat more pressing as a result of the following:
  • India’s Look East policy was transformed into a strong Act East policy.
  • An understanding of the vital significance of ocean power, and
  • The Chinese PLA Navy’s capabilities have rapidly improved.
  • A Chinese naval force build-up at the eastern choke points of the Indo-Pacific, namely the straits of Malacca (between Sumatra and the Malay peninsula), Sunda (between Java and Sumatra), Lombok (between Bali and Lombok), and Ombai-Wetar (off East Timor), could pose a significant threat in the near future.
  • The first line of defence against any attempt to jeopardise India’s maritime security from the East ought to be the A&N Islands.
  • When the A&N Command (ANC) was established as a tri-services command in 2001, some attempt was made to take advantage of this geographic advantage; however, subsequent efforts have been woefully insufficient.

Why has A&N’s strategic infrastructure development been moving at a slow pace?

• • Unrealization of strategic significance for the security of India: It is only recently that political decision-makers have realised how crucial the islands are.
  • This is a result of the PLA Navy’s extraordinary growth.

The distance from the mainland:

• • It has served as a justification for stalling and delaying a number of projects.

Complex procedures for obtaining environmental clearances:

• • Land acquisition issues have been made more complex by regulations pertaining to the preservation of forests and indigenous tribes.

Coordination challenges:

• • Building strategic infrastructure and islands is a multifaceted project involving numerous ministries, departments, and agencies.

Not a political issue:

• • The struggle between short-term political gains and long-term strategic vision has frequently favoured the latter.

What Aims Should These Islands’ Strategic Infrastructure Development Aim for?

Maritime security:

• • All 836 islands, inhabited and uninhabited, need to be protected from attempts by organisations involved in illegal activity to occupy or utilise them.

A potent deterrent component:

• • It needs to be protected from any mishap involving the East’s fleet.

Bolster India’s maritime economy:

• • The southern group of islands, which is ideally situated in relation to the main shipping route from the Indian Ocean to South East Asia, needs infrastructure built.

Ease of travel to and between the islands:

• • Enhancing transport will contribute to the development and maintenance of the islands’ tourism potential.

Islands’ dependence on mainland support must be reduced:

• • Regarding food items or pertinent regional industries supporting upkeep, repair, and other services.

Which Infrastructure on the Islands Should Be Prioritised?

• • Aircraft and surface platforms must patrol and observe this maritime area.
    Long runways that can accommodate Boeing 737-sized aircraft must be found on separate airfields.
  • In order to allow ships to operate without having to return to Port Blair, ports and fuel storage facilities must be constructed in both the northern and southern groups of the islands.
  • Along with increasing troop levels, the Army, Navy, and Air Force need to station the appropriate combination of assets at the ANC.
  • Fighter planes and surveillance assets must be stationed there.
  • There needs to be more work done on the transshipment port at Galathea Bay (Great Nicobar Island).
  • In order to spur development efforts on the islands, India might also look into the possibility of utilising regional agreements like the Quad and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).