NEW DELHI - Amid the growing presence of China in the Indian Ocean, India is seeking to speed up ambitious plans to convert the strategically situated Andaman and Nicobar Islands into a shipping and tourism hub with connections to South-east Asia.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a population of around 400,000 people, including aboriginal tribes. This includes the Jarawas, who have inhabited the island for years and live off the land. Environmentalists argue the proposed development would destroy ecologically and culturally sensitive areas of these islands.
According to a home ministry letter in March 2022, the airport will be a joint military-civil, dual-use airport under the operational control of the Indian Navy. But developing the islands and links to South-east Asia is not expected to be easy amid wide-ranging challenges, including the long lead time of the development of three decades and environmental concerns.
”The development will have an environmental impact in Nicobar and Andaman Islands and the ecological balance will be in peril,” said parliamentarian Binoy Viswam, who has raised the issue in Parliament. Ecologists have also argued that the development would impact the indigenous tribes and their cultural and ecological heritage.