Four islands to come up in A&N

Holistic development of the four identified islands of Andaman & Nicobar, keeping carrying capacity in mind, has been accorded high priority by the government. The islands, which are regarded as high-value tourism destinations, are to be developed under the public private partnership (PPP) model.

Kanchan Nath

The government has decided to develop the islands of Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) and Lakshadweep for enhancing them as high-value tourism destinations. Speaking at the pre-application conference for Eco Tourism Resorts for A&N Islands, Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said, ”These are some of the most pristine islands, one of the last destinations in the world to be opened up; therefore, they are very unique, and our objective is to develop them as high-value tourism destinations. They will be built around the carrying capacity of the islands after detailed analysis. Initially, four islands will be developed in A&N islands and five in Lakshadweep. We have issued a Request for Quotation (RFQ) on the website of NITI Aayog and Union Territory (UT) administration. We have worked very closely with the UT administration and the strategy is to upgrade infrastructure and create very high-value tourism destinations here. We will provide upfront clearances like Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) /environmental clearances as well as a timeline for approvals. By the time the bidding is complete all projects will have CRZ clearance and will be supported by local islanders; development will be strictly within the carrying capacity.”

We are improving the connectivity by an undersea cable project connecting mainland India with A&N islands, which will be a reality in 2020. This will bring the best internet connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar islands  – Amitabh Kant

First-ever water villas projects in Lakshadweep Kant elucidated upon the ecotourism projects in Lakshadweep. He said, “The projects we are working on are water villas in Minicoy island, these are absolute coral paradises. There is an increase in con- cession period, we feel that for the first time in India we are doing around 40 water villas over six hectares and land villas, and 110 keys over 8.53 hectares. The costing looks like ₹319 crore which will vary from developers and builders. The concession period is 66 years; the supporting infrastructure will be an airport in Minicoy island which we are proposing, and uniqueness is a very large lagoon in the area. We are also doing water villas in Suheli island in Lakshadweep; there will be 50 keys for water villas over six hectares. For land villas there will be 60 keys over 3.82 hectares, while the project cost is 247 crore, over a concession period of 66 years. Sea planes and heli services will be introduced in Kadmat island, which is an adventure tourism destination – a unique deep dive destination. Water villas with 35 keys over six hectares and land villas with 75 keys over 5.5 hectares will be developed here. There will be a concession period, and this region has the potential to become the world’s best destination for water sports.”

Long, Aves, Smith and Shaheed Dweep to be developed in A&N islands Kant added, “In Andaman we are looking at Long island with an area of 42 hectares, about 220 keys are to be developed and the concession period is about 75 years. A protruding jetty will be constructed and approach to heliport will be there. Aves island, which is a great romantic getaway spreading to 2.75 hectares is to be developed with about 50 keys. Concession period is over 50 years, with construction period of three years. This will be a very unique ecotourism getaway. Smith and Ross island are spread over 25 hectares, 70 keys are to be developed with a 50-year concession period. There will be a civil passenger terminal at Diglipur, ready for operation which is very close to it. A floating jetty will also be constructed. Shaheed Dweep is known for its beautiful sunsets and unique white sandy beaches spread over 9.7 hectares; 120 keys are to be developed with 75 years of concession period. The island has regular sea connectivity from Port Blair.”

Chetan B Sanghi, Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, further reiterated, “We have a clear direction from the Centre to promote high-end tourism in A&N islands. We have had an investors’ meet, and we have primarily tried to tell them that Andamans is a destination for high-end tourism. We are encouraging sustainable and responsible development, comparable to the best in the world. We are improving the connectivity by an undersea cable project connecting mainland India with A&N islands which will be a reality by June-November 2020. This will bring the best internet connectivity to Andamans. We are also introducing flights to three international destinations and are in touch with different airlines for the same. We currently have 26 flights reaching Port Blair every day during the current tourist season. We also have a whole lot of helicopters, sea planes, inter-island ships and ferries that are operating currently.”

Sanghi added, “We will ensure that investors get easy and early clearances. Also, initially 30 per cent and later 60 per cent of the local population will get employment. Port Blair airport is an international airport so we hope that with the visa facilities, the expected tourists from abroad would go up in the future.”