Sustainable Development of Little Andaman Island Vision Document by NITI Aayog:
A plan named the Sustainable Development of Little Andaman Island Vision Document by NITI Aayog for the sustainable and holistic development of the 680 sq km, fragile Little Andaman Island in the Andaman and Nicobar island group has raised alarm among conservationists.
Earlier in 2020, the Prime Minister declared that the Andaman and Nicobar islands will be developed as a “maritime and startup hub”.
- Purpose:
- To leverage the strategic location and natural features of the island.
- The islands are critical for India’s security because of their strategic location in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
- Better infrastructure and connectivity will help India enhance its military and naval strength in the islands.
- Plan:
- Building a new greenfield coastal city, that will be developed as a free trade zone and will compete with Singapore and Hong Kong.
Three Zones: It has divided the development in three zones:
- Zone 1 :
- Spread over 102 sq km alongside the east coast of Little Andaman.
- It would be the monetary district and medi metropolis and can embody an aerocity, and a tourism and hospital district.
- Zone 2:
- Spread over 85 sq km of pristine forest.
- It is the leisure zone, can have a movie metropolis, a residential district and a tourism Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
- Zone 3 :
- Spread over 52 sq km of pristine forest.
- It shall be a nature zone, additional categorized into three districts: an unique forest resort, a nature therapeutic district and a nature retreat, all on the western coast.
Transport Development:
- A worldwide airport able to deal with all varieties of plane is central to the plan as a global airport is vital for growth.
- The solely jetty on the island might be expanded and a marina might be developed subsequent to the tourist entertainment district.
- A 100 km greenfield ring highway might be constructed parallel to the shoreline from east to west and might be supplemented with a mass fast transit community with stations at common intervals.
Bottlenecks:
- Lack of fine connectivity with Indian mainland and world cities.
- Fragile biodiversity and natural ecosystems and certain Supreme Court notifications that pose an obstacle to development.
- Another key issue is the presence of indigenous tribes and concerns for their welfare.
- 95% of Little Andaman is covered in forest, a big part of it the pristine evergreen sort. Some 640 sq km of the island is Reserve Forest under the Indian Forest Act 1927, and almost 450 sq km is protected because of the Onge Tribal Reserve, creating a singular and uncommon socio-ecological-historical complex of high importance.
