India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviews operational preparedness of Andaman & Nicobar Command in Port Blair
Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) Lieutenant General Ajai Singh briefed the Defence Minister about the geo-strategic potential of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the role they can play towards enhancing India’s influence and support to military operations in the area.

The CINCAN briefed the Raksha Mantri about the achievements, future plan and challenges of A&N Command.

He highlighted the significant role played by A&N Command in carrying forward Government’s Act East Policy and in realising the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) by building ‘Bridges of Friendship’ with the country’s maritime neighbours.

Rajnath Singh also visited the ANC Joint Operations Centre (JOC) which is the nerve centre for integrated planning for surveillance, conduct of operations and logistic support.

Interacting with officers & jawans, the Defence Minister commended the Andaman and Nicobar Command for strengthening national security and keeping the maritime domain safe and secure, while playing a significant role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

He lauded their bravery and enthusiasm for being alert & ready 24X7 for the security of the islands and the Exclusive Economic Zone.

He added that since its inception in 2001, the Andaman and Nicobar Command has significantly enhanced its operational capabilities, which reflects its indomitable spirit and commitment.

Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that the courage & dedication of the Armed Forces will create a golden future for the country.

He assured the soldiers that the way they are always ready for the security of the country, the government too is always ready for their welfare.

He added that the Government is making all efforts to increase the efficiency and strength of the Armed Forces.

“Under the guidance of our Prime Minister, we have taken a firm step forward towards self-reliance. We have made giant strides towards realising ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ vision.

Our Armed Forces will soon be among the strongest militaries of the world. This is our vision as well as our mission,” he said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also made special mention of the bravery and promptness with which the Armed Forces dealt with the recent situations in the northern sector.

Earlier, Defence Minister reviewed a Quad-Service Guard of Honour and visited Sankalp Smarak, the location of Netaji’s historic arrival on December 29, 1943.

At the Sankalp Smarak, he paid solemn homage to honour the sacrifices of soldiers of the Indian National Army.

Upon his arrival in Port Blair, he was received by Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Admiral DK Joshi (Retd), CINCAN and senior government officials.

This is the first visit of the Raksha Mantri to Indira Point since January 2019. Apart from the Strategic Signalling in view of proximity of these far-flung islands to the Indo-Pacific, the visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to A&N Command motivated the troops deployed in these distant and remote islands.

It is pertinent to mention that A&N Command is a 21-year-old successful Integrated Theatre Command which is now being planned at the national level.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

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Lakshadweep MP disqualified from Lok Sabha over attempt to murder case
Thiruvananthapuram/ New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Secretariat has issued notification disqualifying Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal, who was recently convicted in an attempt to murder case by a court in the union territory.

As per the notification issued on Friday, Faizal stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from January 11, the date of his conviction by a sessions court in Kavaratti.

The decision was taken under the provisions of Article 102 (l) (e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.


“Consequent upon his conviction by the Court of Sessions, Kavaratti, Lakshadweep in Sessions case no. 01/2017, Shri Mohammed Faizal P.P., Member of Lok Sabha representing the Lakshadweep Parliamentary Constituency of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 11 January, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(l)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951,” it said.

The court in Lakshadweep had on Wednesday sentenced four people, including Faizal, to 10 years in jail after they were found guilty in an attempt to murder case.

Kavaratti Sessions court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on the convicts for attempting to kill Mohammed Salih, son-in-law of late Congress leader and former Union Minister P M Sayeed, during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. All the convicts are relatives.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

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From Times Of India: 21 Andaman isles now bear names of Param Virs
Image
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lamented that the contributions of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose were sought to be ignored in the official narratives in the past and said that countries which ensured the sacrifices of their brave and the eminent were remembered have progressed well and have been successful in nation-building.
The PM was speaking at a function to mark Netaji's birth anniversary after naming 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman & Nicobar after the 21 recipients of Param Vir Chakra, the country's highest military honour, through video conferencing. The PM unveiled a model of the National Memorial dedicated to Netaji to be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep - where the founder of the Indian National Army had unfurled the tricolour and which was known as Ross island before being renamed by the Modi government.
Netaji will shine like Pole Star in India’s history: Home minister Shah

The grand commemoration of Netaji's birth anniversary comes after the installation of his statue near India Gate and is in keeping with the effort of the Modi government to correct the imbalance in official historiography where contributions of Nehru, as it claims, were glorified at the cost of those of others. The government has also said that lack of attention or exclusion of sacrifices of many who were part of the armed resistance to the colonial rule was part of the official endeavour to keep the spotlight trained on one family.The PM said all 21 Paramvirs had one resolve — ‘Nation First! India First!’ This resolution has now become immortal forever in the names of these islands. “A hill in Andaman is also being named after Captain Vikram Batra from the Kargil war,” he said.

“Today, in front of our democratic institutions, the grand statue of Netaji Bose at ‘Kartavya Path’ is reminding us of our duties. I think these works should have been done long ago in the interest of the country. Countries, which connected their heroes with the public in time and created shared and capable ideals, went far ahead in the race of development and nation-building. India is doing it in its golden age of Independence with all its heart,” Modi said. “The 21st century has witnessed that Netaji Subhas, whose contributions to the nation were forgotten for years, are being remembered every moment now.”

He also lamented that the identity of Andaman was associated with the symbols of slavery instead of the memories of the freedom struggle and said “even the names of our islands had the imprint of slavery”, in a reference to the Cellular Jail where many of the freedom fighters were pushed into the dungeon by the British.

Modi recalled his visit to the Andaman. “Today Ross Island has become Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, Havelock and Neil Islands have become Swaraj and Shaheed Islands.” He noted that the names — Swaraj and Shaheed — were given by Netaji himself but no importance was given even after Independence. The PM said, “When the Azad Hind Fauj government completed 75 years, our government reinstated these names.”

He further said, “There were demands to make public secret files on Netaji, and we have done that. The entire country, right from Delhi and Bengal to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is paying tribute to Netaji now and preserving heritage associated with him.”

Speaking on the history of Andaman and Nicobar islands, the PM stressed that Veer Savarkar and many other heroes like him went through penance for the country on this very land.

The PM regretted the failure of the previous governments in recognising the country’s potential due to lack of self-confidence and distorted ideological politics. “Whether it is our Himalayan states, especially the northeast, or the regions like Andaman and Nicobar, development in such areas was neglected for decades as these were deemed remote, inaccessible and irrelevant,” he remarked.

Giving examples of developed island nations like Singapore, Maldives and Seychelles, he noted that the geographical area of these nations is less than that of Andaman and Nicobar, but they have reached new heights with the right use of resources.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by Mollick.R »

Bids for Andaman's Rs 41,000-crore mega port project open today

ET Bureau Last Updated: Jan 28, 2023, 12:10 AM IST

The Centre has invited bids for the ₹41,000-crore mega international container transhipment port (ICTP) being planned for the Galathea Bay of Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

An official statement issued on Friday said bids for developing the port are being invited on Saturday.

The government is aiming to complete the terminal in 2028 with a handling capacity of 4 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs). A TEU is an approximate unit of measure used for cargo containers. The capacity of the port will increase to 16 million TEUs in the ultimate stage of development.

"Progressive steps are being taken by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The transhipment terminal will offer top-notch facilities to the stakeholders in the maritime trade sector," Sarbananda Sonowal, minister for ports, shipping and waterways, told ET in New Delhi.

In another development, Sonowal inaugurated the National Logistics Portal-Marine, a single-window logistics portal to reduce the logistics cost for exporters.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/in ... content=23
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by hgupta »

I don't get this port in Andamans. Why do we need a big port there when there is no connectivity there. Would it not be better if we make one of the ports on the eastern side a mega port with all the connectivity? Such as Chennai? or Visakhapatnam?
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by SRajesh »

^^^ Sirji
Draw a line from Galathea Bay to Assumption island and you make you own conclusions.
Also GB sits at the mouth of Malacca Straits
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by hgupta »

Yes but to take advantage of the massive ports you need connectivity. Without that, it is just a waste of money like Gwadar is for Pakis.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by Aditya_V »

An Andaman port will reduce our dependence on Singapore and Colombo for transshipment, many of our ports are not deep enough draft and dont have surrounding real estate for transfer of containers, this.port will give the Andaman islands a boost up, this could be another reason why Adani group is being targeted.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by SRajesh »

Gwadar was just a Chin sleight of hand to fool the unwashed as far as commercial prospects but more a string of pearls no
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by Cyrano »

What exactly is transhipment? Can someone explain...
OK, googled it: https://www.container-xchange.com/blog/transshipment/

So if A ship is carrying thousand containers from west to east, of which say 100 containers are for India, then its the selective unloading of those 100 plus loading of any other containers onto to ship A that are eastward bound.

But locating this in A&N means these containers have to be again transported to Indian mainland by sea and then to the final destination by rail + road just road. The reverse may happen for outbound shipments going east or west.

Perhaps the idea is to use the transshipment terminal and "saagar mala" port infra like a hub and spoke model.

Vishakapatnam is said to have a very deep harbour but may be its too close to other stuff to encourage lots of international vessels plying in and out.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by ArjunPandit »

hgupta wrote:I don't get this port in Andamans. Why do we need a big port there when there is no connectivity there. Would it not be better if we make one of the ports on the eastern side a mega port with all the connectivity? Such as Chennai? or Visakhapatnam?
I see the following reasons
1. A lot of these islands are uninhabited or sparsely habitated..makes them an easy ground for occupation by chinese. GoI wants to avoid this in future. 2. A transshipment center also eases burden on other ports from big ship perspective. Indian economy is going to get busy with manufacturing so it's important to already ease.
3. Domestic ports can also be used for city to city shipment through cheaper sea routes for bulk movement of raw materials to industrial centers
4. A lot of ports have real estate too close to comfort for navy..esp with more peaceful population. You dont want a USS cole
5. A shipment center will inevitably be followed by a naval presence if it's not already there. A&N are heavily triservice/navy occupied.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by ArjunPandit »

hgupta wrote:Yes but to take advantage of the massive ports you need connectivity. Without that, it is just a waste of money like Gwadar is for Pakis.
gwadar failed because of
1. high debt rates
2. failure of overall baki economy. Heck they cant even use karachi fully. Also they mostly import from china rather than other countries apart from oil.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by kancha »

hgupta wrote:I don't get this port in Andamans. Why do we need a big port there when there is no connectivity there. Would it not be better if we make one of the ports on the eastern side a mega port with all the connectivity? Such as Chennai? or Visakhapatnam?
That port isn't as much about Indian hinterland as it is about bulk-breaking for SE Asia and beyond!
This is exactly how Singapore made most of its money - by exploiting its geographical advantage and offering transshipment facilities with a quick turnaround time so that bulk carriers need not go all the way to many different ports in order to disgorge their cargo
It makes economic sense for a large No of containers inbound from say, Europe to travel all the way to Singapore in a single large ship. But once there, it is more economical for smaller ships to take the loads specific to different ports in different countries ahead.

This is what I wrote nearly 11 years ago, in March 2012: (Link)
Can not a transshipment port at Andaman / Nicobar give a run for their money to Singapore?
Singapore also was able to provide other ancillary facilities such as fuel etc to ships at highly competitive rates. This is where we too will need to step up if we need to make it profitable, sooner.
In any case, geographically, Nicobar is better suited for transshipment than Singapore. So that advantage already exists with us. Now it is up to us to make it work and earn a profit.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by Bart S »

Cyrano wrote:What exactly is transhipment? Can someone explain...
OK, googled it: https://www.container-xchange.com/blog/transshipment/

So if A ship is carrying thousand containers from west to east, of which say 100 containers are for India, then its the selective unloading of those 100 plus loading of any other containers onto to ship A that are eastward bound.

But locating this in A&N means these containers have to be again transported to Indian mainland by sea and then to the final destination by rail + road just road. The reverse may happen for outbound shipments going east or west.

Perhaps the idea is to use the transshipment terminal and "saagar mala" port infra like a hub and spoke model.

Vishakapatnam is said to have a very deep harbour but may be its too close to other stuff to encourage lots of international vessels plying in and out.
Please look up the busiest shipping routes. The reason that a place like Colombo can be the main transshipment hub for India and leach off our economy, is partly because it is a deep water port where massive ships can dock but also because the ships do not have to go far off their path (costing time and fuel) to a place like Vizag. The Andaman islands are strategically placed in that regard.

Image
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by srikandan »

In the context of this map and the chokepoints:

1. India-Egypt relations in the past year which include defense manufacture and port management (EU-China Traffic)
2. Improved relations with Somalia https://mea.gov.in/Portal/ForeignRelati ... aaug21.pdf (EU-China Traffic)
3. Improving security relations with Sri Lanka by backing IMF loans to SL (All transient traffic via India Ocean to/from China)
4. Development of Andaman&Nicobar ports, including naming all islands under Indian control (All transient traffic via Indian Ocean to/from China)

"human rights violations" in countries that will allow the anglo-saxon/chinese cabal to create new points of control here would be a legitimate counter move, if we put on some angreji suit-boot before putting on thinking topi.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by KL Dubey »

Bart S wrote: Please look up the busiest shipping routes. The reason that a place like Colombo can be the main transshipment hub for India and leach off our economy, is partly because it is a deep water port where massive ships can dock but also because the ships do not have to go far off their path (costing time and fuel) to a place like Vizag. The Andaman islands are strategically placed in that regard.
Exactly. The west coast ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi, along with the future Nicobar port (Galathea Bay) should put paid to the lankans.

I do worry about tsunami risk for GB. Last time, the IAF base at Campbell Bay (25 km north of GB) was destroyed. Will GB be reinforced by seawalls, land reclamation, etc ?
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by srikandan »

This is a tweet from a official govt handle of the Nazis
@germanydiplo
Deeply concerned by recent events in #Myanmar: 2 years after the coup, the military has extended the state of emergency and declared martial law. We strongly oppose these illegitimate steps. Violence & human rights violations must stop. Inclusive dialogue is the only way forward.
After committing the holocaust, these humanitarian nazis are worried about "human rights in Myanmar" --- this is all about getting someone else's territory in the IOR region, after which they have the calculus that will break Indian dominance in the IOR.

Inclusive dialogue, it seems.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by Vips »

Minerals in Indian Ocean can turn India self-sufficient in nickel, cobalt: International Seabed Authority chief.

Vast mineral deposits in the Indian Ocean can make India self-sufficient in nickel and cobalt, a top official of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) said on Tuesday. Nickel and cobalt are critical ingredients in the lithium-ion batteries used in most electric vehicles, which are zero-emission automobiles.

Praising the Indian government's efforts in this direction through its "Deep Ocean Mission", Michael W Lodge, ISA's Secretary-General, also exuded confidence that India can become a global leader in deep sea mining.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of 'International Conference on Seabed Mining', held at the Gujarat National Law University in Gandhinagar.

"India was one of the very first pioneer investors in deep sea mining, starting from the 1980s. In recent years, there has been enormous progress. Under the Deep Ocean Mission, India's progress was phenomenal. India has the potential to become a global leader in deep sea mineral exploration and exploitation," said Lodge.

Lodge said he was "extremely encouraged" by the commitment at the political, scientific and technical level and said India can compete with any other country in this avenue.

"We are looking at hard minerals, such as polymetallic nodules and sulphides. They contain vast quantities of critical minerals needed for the global energy transition, particularly copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese," he said when asked what minerals can be mined from the Indian Ocean seabed apart from crude oil and gas.

"India is not self-sufficient in nickel, and it can create a big problem for India unless you can develop a domestic supply.

But, the seabed contains all the nickel to meet India's domestic demand, if India wants to become a leader in critical minerals globally, India has the potential to do that. Similarly, India does not have any secured source for cobalt. But, the seabed offers that source," he said.

ISA is mandated under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to organize, regulate and control all mineral-related activities in the international seabed area for the benefit of mankind as a whole, says the ISA website.

In August 2022, a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release had stated that under the schemes "Ocean-Services, Modelling, Application, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)" and "Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)" of the Union environment ministry, resource inventories for energy, fisheries, and minerals have been taken up.

It was also said that the Government ofIndia signed a 15-year contract with ISA for exploration of polymetallic nodules, which contain nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese, from the Central Indian Ocean Basin in 2002. Extensive survey and other developmental activities have been carried out in 75,000-sqkm area retained by India in CIOB.

The Union green ministry has undertaken exploration and other developmental activities related to polymetallic sulphides in the Indian Ocean under a 15-year contract signed in 2016 with ISA, said a PIB release last August.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

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Uncontacted tribes and an Indian military base. Did a ‘spy’ balloon snoop on the Andaman and Nicobar islands?
— CNN
When a strange white sphere appeared in the skies above the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in January 2022, it swiftly became a talking point in this sleepy Indian Ocean archipelago of 430,000 people.

Hundreds of members of the public spotted the strange object, which looked a little like a full moon, and were eager to speculate on what it was, reported local media. But “high-altitude surveillance balloon” didn’t seem high on many people’s guess list.

Many suggested it was a weather balloon; others, including local news outlet the Andaman Sheekha, thought that made no sense, ruling out the possibility on the grounds of the object’s shape, height, and photographs showing what appeared to be “eight dark panels” hanging from it.

Some did suggest spying might be involved, but that too seemed a strange explanation.


Under the headline, “Unidentified Flying Object over Port Blair city triggers curiosity and rumor,” the Sheekha posed a question: “In this age of ultra advanced satellites, who will use a flying object to spy?”

Question floated
That question, experts say, has taken on a greater resonance this month, after the United States shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that spent days over American territory, including apparently lingering over nuclear missile silos in Montana.

US intelligence officials say the balloon – which China insists was a civilian weather research vessel – was part of an extensive Chinese surveillance program run from the island province of Hainan that has flown balloons over at least five continents in recent years.

Other governments have also raised concerns. Soon after the balloon was spotted over the US, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said the incident “should not be tolerated by the civilized international community,” adding it had experienced Chinese balloons flying over its territory in September 2021 and again in February 2022.

Japan meanwhile said it “strongly presumed” that three “balloon-shaped flying objects” detected in its airspace between November 2019 and September 2021 were “unmanned reconnaissance” aircraft flown by China.

But India – which administers the Andaman and Nicobar Islands – has remained conspicuously silent, despite questions being raised by the Indian media.

“Mystery balloon hovered over Andaman and Nicobar Islands around tri-service military drill,” reported India Today; “Chinese spy balloons, UFOs trigger paranoia among countries. Should India be worried?” asked Live Mint. “Reports Suggest India Was Targeted by Chinese Balloon Too,” ran a headline in The Wire; “Did a Chinese ‘spy’ balloon snoop on India too?” asked Firstpost.

China, meanwhile, has strongly denied running a balloon surveillance program. It maintains the vessel downed by the US was a weather balloon thrown off course and has also rejected Tokyo’s claims. Beijing said it firmly opposed “the Japanese side’s smear campaign against China” and said Japan should “stop following the US” by engaging in “deliberate speculation.”

“China is a responsible country that strictly abides by international law and respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. (We) hope that all parties will look at it objectively,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in response to a question from CNN about whether the country had ever used balloons to spy on India.

Why the silence?
But to many onlookers, the silence from New Delhi on the matter has been as baffling as the balloon-like object was to the readers of the Andaman Sheekha.

“I think (the Indian) government is being silent about it for the simple fact that (it) was unable to do anything about it,” said Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at New Delhi-based think tank Center for Policy Research.

“If it were to say that a spy balloon was found over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is seen as a great bastion of Indian sovereignty, it would show the government in a very poor light.”

India will come under the international spotlight this year as it hosts two high-level summits – the G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – and it is “desperately keen” for them to go well, Singh said.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi arrives for the G20 summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 15, 2022.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi arrives for the G20 summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 15, 2022.

And with a general election on the horizon in 2024, its leader Narendra Modi will be eager to look tough in the eyes of voters who swept him into power on a ticket of nationalism and a promise of India’s future greatness.

Acknowledging that a UFO – which may or may not have been spying – had floated above an archipelago that hosts a significant Indian military presence would compromise that message.

“Raising this issue of the balloon,” simply wouldn’t be in New Delhi’s interest, Singh concluded. “As a nationalist government, it would completely destroy and demolish its image within the country.”

But Manoj Kewalramani, a fellow of China studies at the Takshashila Institution in India, said silence was simply more New Delhi’s style.

“Historically, India has never spoken about these issues,” he said. “If the US has briefed India on the Chinese spying program, India will very careful about what they reveal, so as to not tarnish that relationship.”

CNN reached out to the Indian government for comment on this article but did not receive a response.

Uncontacted tribes and an unsinkable aircraft carrier
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands may seem an unlikely target for international espionage.

The remote, sleepy archipelago at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea lies about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Aceh, Indonesia, and more than 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) from the Indian capital New Delhi. Only a few dozen of its more than 500 islands are even inhabited.

India's Andaman and Nicobar islands

There is little commerce to speak of beyond fishing villages, and while the sandy beaches and rich biodiversity have made some of the islands popular with tourists, others are so remote they are home to uncontacted tribes.

In 2018, an American missionary, John Allen Chau, is thought to have been killed by the Sentinelese tribe after he arrived on North Sentinel Island, hoping to convert them to Christianity. In 2006, members of the same tribe killed two fishermen poachers whose boat drifted ashore. Two years earlier, one of its members was photographed firing arrows at a helicopter sent to check on their welfare following the Asian tsunami. Protection groups have urged the public to respect their wish to remain uncontacted.

But as obscure and remote as these islands may be, there are reasons they might be of interest to foreign intelligence agencies.

In this undated photo released by the Anthropological Survey of India, Sentinelese tribe men row their canoe in India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.
In this undated photo released by the Anthropological Survey of India, Sentinelese tribe men row their canoe in India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.

Anthropological Survey of India/AP
As a major outpost in the Indian Ocean, the islands join the Bay of Bengal with the wider Indo-Pacific, via the Malacca Strait – one of the busiest and most important trade routes in the world.

The location also makes the islands a strategic military asset for India, and they are home to the only integrated tri-service (army, navy, air force) base of the Indian armed forces.

In recent years, New Delhi has poured great effort into enhancing the islands’ prospects as a military base, with Modi in 2019 unveiling a decade-long plan to add more troops, warships and aircraft to its existing fleet.

“The islands are used for military deployment and dominate the area,” said Singh, from the Center for Policy Research. “Various Indian military leaders have described the islands as an ‘unsinkable carrier.’”

In the event of a military clash between China and the US over Taiwan, Singh said, “the US could ask India for support from the islands.”

01 John Allen Chau
American missionary believed killed by isolated tribe knew the risks, friends say
“India has also been very protective about the islands. Very rarely have they allowed foreign military to exercise on land on these islands,” he added.

Kewalramani, from the Takshashila Institution, said China “would want to know what’s happening on the (Andaman and Nicobar) islands.”

However, he also said it remained unclear “whether they would do that through a balloon and whether a balloon could gather enough intel.”

The bigger issue
To many commentators, the whole saga is less about what may or may not have been a surveillance balloon, and more about the Modi government’s reticence to engage on issues involving China for fear of sparking a diplomatic crisis ahead of next year’s Indian election.

While there may be some sensitive military secrets to be gleaned from Andaman and Nicobar islands, analysts suggest the real reason for tight lips in New Delhi may be connected to what is happening thousands of miles to the north, along India’s 2,100-mile (3,380-kilometer) disputed border with China.

It’s here in the thin air and freezing temperatures of the Himalayas that troops from the two nuclear-armed neighbors have clashed over the past few years, in what are startling reminders of India and China’s combustible relationship.

Tensions along the de factor border have been simmering for more than 60 years and have spilled over into war before. In 1962 a month-long conflict ended in a Chinese victory and India losing thousands of square miles of territory.

But rarely in recent years have those tensions been as high as they are now. Since a clash involving hand-to-hand fighting in 2020 claimed the lives of at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers, both sides have deployed thousands of troops to the area, where they remain in what appears to be a semi-permanent stand-off.



Why do India and China spar at the border?
02:40 - Source: CNN
“The whole character of the border changed in 2020. China did something that they had not done before … they came into occupied areas … and refused to withdraw,” said former Lt. Gen. Rakesh Sharma, whose more than 40 years in the Indian army included a stint commanding the Fire and Fury Corps in the Ladakh area of the border.

There are now signs things may be heating up once again, according to Arzan Tarapore, South Asia research scholar at Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.

A brawl between troops from the two sides in December – what the Indian government characterized as a “physical scuffle” – was “part of the steady drumbeat of China building its military presence, asserting its control over disputed areas, and probing Indian defenses,” Tarapore said.

“It was just one episode in a string of episodes, and India should certainly expect more – and probably bigger – such probes and incursions in the future,” he added.

Keeping silent, with a big stick
With the border issue heating up, analysts say Modi faces a difficult diplomatic balancing act.
On one hand, he needs to project a strong image to voters and show he is willing to stand his ground against China’s pressure at the border.

On the other, he must be careful to avoid inflaming the already tense relationship with Beijing by wading into China’s dispute with Washington over the balloon shot down off the US East Coast.

One reading of India’s silence may be that is adopting Theodore Roosevelt’s famous foreign policy maxim of, “Speak softly, and carry a big stick.”

New Delhi recently announced a 13% hike in its annual defense budget to 5.94 trillion rupees ($72.6 billion) – which is expected to fund, among other things, new access roads and fighter jets to be based along the disputed border.

In this photograph provided by the Indian Army, tanks pull back from the banks of Pangong Tso lake region, in Ladakh along the India-China border on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021.
In this photograph provided by the Indian Army, tanks pull back from the banks of Pangong Tso lake region, in Ladakh along the India-China border on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021.
Indian Army/AP/File
But, as with the UFO in the Andaman and Nicobars, experts say New Delhi sometimes gives the impression that the less said about the border the better.

Kenneth Juster, a former US ambassador to India, told Indian television channel Times Now that New Delhi preferred Washington not to comment on Chinese aggression at the Himalayan border.

“The restraint in mentioning China in any US-India communication or any Quad communication comes from India, which is very concerned about not poking China in the eye,” he said, referring to discussions of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – a strategic US-led group that includes India, Japan and Australia and that Beijing is convinced is aimed at containing China’s rise.

Modi has largely avoided speaking publicly on the border issue, going as far as saying on live television shortly after the deadly 2020 clashes that, “No one has intruded and nor is anyone intruding.”

“He wants the crisis to go away. His reaction is to avoid talking about it,” said Singh, the analyst. “Propaganda and PR have led many Indians to believe that things (at the disputed border) are OK.”

Kewalramani, the China expert, said India simply preferred a lower-key approach in pushing back against Beijing, noting it had cracked down on Chinese businesses, including by banning some Chinese apps.

“While there aren’t huge gestures, it is part of India’s diplomatic culture to avoid aggression,” he said.

The problem with that approach, others warned, was that it risked making India appear weak.

“Considering that a crisis on the border is still ongoing, and continues to haunt India and China, the silence does not bode well for India,” Singh said.

“It emboldens China.”
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by ramana »

The balloon survey of Andamans could be done by the US.
Quo bono leads to that hypothesis.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

Confirmation by Times of India

India spotted flying object over strategic island chain in 2022
About a year ago, locals on a strategic Indian island chain that sits closer to Singapore than New Delhi spotted an unusual object in the sky: a giant balloon similar to the one the US downed earlier this month.
At the time, nobody really knew what it was. As hundreds of people on the Andaman and Nicobar islands ventured outside and snapped photos of the unusual flying object that lit up social media, India’s defence establishment became alarmed.
The islands are close to India’s missile testing areas in the Bay of Bengal and sit near the Malacca Strait, a key bottleneck for supplies of energy and other goods to China and other North Asian nations.
Now, in the aftermath of the US shooting down a balloon it alleged was part of Chinese surveillance, Indian officials are revisiting the incident while developing protocols to improve their ability to detect similar threats and respond more quickly in the future, the officials said.

Unlike the US, which used a pricey Aim-9X Sidewinder missile to bring down the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, India favors cheaper options such as fighter jets or heavy machine guns attached to transporter aircraft, the officials added.
The object had appeared suddenly over the island chain, slipping past numerous Indian radar systems on the way, multiple officials with knowledge of the matter said this week. Before authorities could determine the balloon’s origin and reach a decision on whether to bring it down, the object drifted southwest into the ocean, they said.

The Indian officials were reluctant to speculate on the origin of the balloon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is hosting the Group of 20 meetings this year, and is seeking to avoid stoking diplomatic rifts as it looks to make progress on goals such as alleviating the debt burden of developing nations.

Representatives of ministry of external affairs, the navy and the air force didn’t immediately respond to calls seeking comment.


The US-China balloon spat derailed a mini-thaw between the world’s two largest economies following President Joe Biden’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November. Beijing has said the device was a civilian craft collecting weather data, and accused the US of overreacting by ordering a fighter jet to shoot it down.

The US is now analyzing debris that divers recovered from the sea off South Carolina. It has said the balloon is part of a yearslong surveillance program China has run and that similar aircraft have been deployed around the globe.


Images captured from the high altitude and slow-moving balloons could complement satellite imagery and help in better understanding the terrain, communication systems in use and soil quality of the areas, the people said.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

Cross posting from missiles thread

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7891&start=560#p2582664
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by chetak »

Cyrano wrote:What exactly is transhipment? Can someone explain...
OK, googled it: https://www.container-xchange.com/blog/transshipment/

So if A ship is carrying thousand containers from west to east, of which say 100 containers are for India, then its the selective unloading of those 100 plus loading of any other containers onto to ship A that are eastward bound.

But locating this in A&N means these containers have to be again transported to Indian mainland by sea and then to the final destination by rail + road just road. The reverse may happen for outbound shipments going east or west.

Perhaps the idea is to use the transshipment terminal and "saagar mala" port infra like a hub and spoke model.

Vishakapatnam is said to have a very deep harbour but may be its too close to other stuff to encourage lots of international vessels plying in and out.
There was widespread objection from rundeetevee to the sagar mala project which means that BIF entities were willing to pay good money to sabotage the project.

https://www.opindia.com/2016/09/ndtv-st ... for-india/

The Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, an ambitious project taken up by Government of Kerala is another project that that the BIF tried to sabotage and this was quite openly padre led, poisonous political padres in full cassock and with a criminal intent to boot asking protesters to beat up the police.

The Vizhinjam deep water port project will drastically affect other well settled ports in colombo, singapore, and dubai, to name just a few. India has been remiss in allowing these other ports to freeload off our mercantile trade and now these guys simply see it as their entitlement that cannot be taken away to the extent that they are now funding violent agitations in India. This was all done during the congi mafia regime and many pockets were filled by grateful "clients".

A transhipment deep water port in the andaman chain of islands will be of immense benefit to merchant vessels plying through the malacca straits which can tranship cargo meant for India and other closer destinations without diverting too far from their usual routes

There are plenty of padre led, NGO fed, and proselytizer promoted anti India projects that take active support from naxals and currency compromised leaders of tribal communities and make use of a ready made propagandist presstitute ecosystem that is wiling to activate and deploy international resources for rewarding remuneration.

The sethu sumadaram project is being pushed by the padre patronized dravidians because the proposed channel will also internationalize a critical part of our coastal waters under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), that can and will be militarized, at some time or the other, by interested international parties to undermine India's sovereignty.

This is in addition to the Ramar Sethu being a revered symbol of India's ancient civilizational history that these padres have been wanting to destroy this icon for over two centuries now.

How much longer are we to be sabotaged by such openly anti India forces, operating with impunity and destroying projects like sterlite, trying to shut down koodakulam and niyamgiri aluminium project in orissa.

They are deliberately attacking and targeting critical and vital resources that feed into the industrial ecosystem like copper, aluminium, power production, rail and port infrastructure projects
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Faizals LS membership reinstated
New Delhi: The Lok Sabha membership of NCP leader Mohammad Faizal P.P., who was disqualified from the Lower House in January following his conviction in a criminal case with a 10-year jail term, was restored on Wednesday. A notification was issued restoring Mr Faizal membership hours ahead of the hearing in the Supreme Court on his petition in the matter.

Lok Sabha secretary general Utpal Kumar Singh issued a notification restoring the membership of Mr Faizal, citing the suspension of his conviction and 10-year jail term by the Kerala high court in an attempt to murder case.

The decision came against the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha after he was sentenced to a two-year jail term by a trial court in Gujarat in a criminal defamation case. Mr Gandhi is yet to appeal to a higher court against the verdict.

The NCP welcomed the revocation of Mr Faizal's suspension but expressed strong displeasure over the delay by the Lok Sabha secretariat.

Mr Faizal was disqualified from Lok Sabha on January 13, after he and three others were sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined `1 lakh each by a sessions court in Kavaratti for attempting to murder Mohammed Salih, son-in-law of the late Union minister P.M. Sayeed, during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

"It was not expected from the Lok Sabha secretariat. The Election Commission had put the notification of the bypolls on hold after the high court suspended my conviction, but the other constitutional body was sitting on the files. This was not fair on behalf of the Lok Sabha secretariat," Mr Faizal told the media here.

Mr Faizal, who was present in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, said he had to approach the Supreme Court to get himself reinstated. He also met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with NCP floor leader Supriya Sule.

"In view of the order dated January 25 of the high court of Kerala, the disqualification of Mr Faizal, notified vide Gazette Notification no. 21/4(1)/2023/TO(B) dated January 13, in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1)(e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, has ceased to operate subject to further judicial pronouncements," the Lok Sabha secretariat notification said.

Mr Faizal had moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking revocation of his disqualification from the Lok Sabha, contending that the Kerala high court stayed his conviction in the attempt-to-murder case.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had met Mr Birla on January 30 and requested him to revoke the suspension of the two-term member from Lakshadweep.

After the disqualification, the Election Commission announced byelections to the Lakshadweep parliamentary seat on January 18. However, on January 30, it decided to withhold the byelection after the Kerala high court order.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

Heightened military activity on Myanmar island near Andaman & Nicobar
NEW DELHI: The Coco Islands of Myanmar, close to the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, are witnessing a lot of military construction, including extension of a runway, hangars and a radar station, in recent months, leading to suspicion whether China is behind the infrastructure build-up.

The A&N islands are 1,200km from India's east coast but the Coco Islands lie just about 42-55km towards the north of the strategically located Indian archipelago. There has been speculation for long, but never confirmed, about China using Coco Islands as a "listening post" in the region.

Latest satellite imagery from the firm Maxar Technologies shows renewed construction activity on the Coco Islands, including a freshly lengthened 2,300-metre runway on the Great Coco Island.

"If China is indeed directly behind the infrastructure build-up in the Coco Islands, then obviously it will be a matter of great concern for India," an official said.


India, on its part, has slowly been building infrastructure in the 572-island Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, which houses its only theatre command with all assets and manpower of Army, Navy, IAF and Coast Guard placed under one operational commander, as a counter to China's expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean Region.

New Delhi has also steadily cranked up military ties with Myanmar, the only Asean country with which it shares a 1,643km land as well as a maritime border, over the years.


But India cannot match the financial and military wherewithal of China, which has established close ties with the junta in Myanmar. Beijing has undertaken several infrastructure projects in the country through the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor in a bid to acquire an alternative route to access the Indian Ocean Region instead of its current heavy dependence on the Malacca Strait.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by chetak »

construction seems to be going on in the coco islands including a runway that is being built.

India should get on urgently with its new naval base in the A&N islands


Image
This satellite image shows that building work for two aircraft hangars next to the runway is being carried out. The width of the hangar appears to be close to 40 metres, limiting the list of aircraft it may eventually accommodate but opening the possibility for high-performance aircraft be stationed there. Photo: Maxar Technologies [via firstpost]


Image

Imagevia vifindia.org
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

Massive joint services exercise in Andaman sends a strong message to China
A large-scale joint services exercise ‘Kavach’ involving assets of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) concluded in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Friday.

Conducted by the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) – the only Joint Forces Command of the country – the joint-military exercise aimed at finetuning joint war-fighting capabilities and standard operating procedures besides enhancing interoperability and operational synergy.

The exercise culminated in showcasing critical skills, including combat beach reconnaissance, combat freefall, beach defences and beaching by Landing Craft Utility (LCUs).

The activities, said ANC, strengthened the forces’ ability to respond effectively to any situation on land and sea, ensuring readiness and operational effectiveness.

The joint forces also carried out multi-domain exercises including amphibious landing, air-landed ops, heliborne ops and rapid insertion of Special Forces.

It showcased a coordinated approach to surveillance, networked and synergized ops and aimed at achieving greater interoperability.

An impressive demonstration of rapid response capabilities in joint manship involving elite Shatrujeet Brigade, Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD), Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and ANC troops was also witnessed and complimented by Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command.

The joint forces executed multi-domain, high-intensity offensive and defensive maneuvers in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, carrying out amphibious landing operations, air landed operations, and helicopters-borne insertion of Special Forces from sea culminating in tactical follow-on operations on land.

As reported by IndiaNarrative.com earlier, India’s decision to beef up security near Indira Point along the Great Channel, popularly referred to as the ‘Six Degree Channel’, has a message for China which transits a large number of its commercial ships through the region as part of its international trade.

A strong presence of the Armed Forces equips India to discharge better its responsibility of being a net security provider in the region.

Not far from Indira Point is South Bay where India is fast-tracking construction of a world-class trans-shipment hub.

Located on the eastern wing of the Great Nicobar Island, it will string with other mega-sized deepwater transshipment ports – Dubai, Colombo, Klang in Malaysia, and Singapore — along the great east-west shipping route.

The South Bay port’s strategic importance is obvious. It is close to the six-degree channel, an incredibly important global shipping lane, which feeds into the Malacca straits — a major choke point that links the Indian and Pacific oceans. The Malacca Straits is the heartbeat of trade with the Indo-Pacific, the fastest-growing region in the world on either side of the channel.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by chetak »

Image
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

^^^ Bad call by NGT what a shame, no thought about national security
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by Cyrano »

Its a commercial port for container transhipment. Nothing to do with India's national security, which is taken care of by the Andaman & Nicobar Command at Port Blair.

If it indeed comes up, it will lead actually to lot of new maritime traffic in the zone, which increases the load of tracking and monitoring, and increases the risk of a USS Cole type attack. BRF bhai log here have said that a transshipment hub in Nicobar will do wonders for our economy, but I remain sceptical about the whole thing.

Lets not hold casual contempt for NGT.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »



The New Battlefield | India Vs China in Andaman & Nicobar

In Hindi
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by ramana »

Cyrano wrote:Its a commercial port for container transhipment. Nothing to do with India's national security, which is taken care of by the Andaman & Nicobar Command at Port Blair.

If it indeed comes up, it will lead actually to lot of new maritime traffic in the zone, which increases the load of tracking and monitoring, and increases the risk of a USS Cole type attack. BRF bhai log here have said that a transshipment hub in Nicobar will do wonders for our economy, but I remain sceptical about the whole thing.

Lets not hold casual contempt for NGT.

Err don't be so defensive of NGT. They have done the utmost to damage Indian development and security.
In Uttarakhand, they objected to wide roads in the border region needed for Indian military movement.
And the petition was filed by a Guy with a British wife and a Son-in-law employed in Hong Kong.
The Supreme Court had to overrule them.
And for the Namame Gange project, they kept delaying permission to open sewage treatment plants that prevent bad effluents.
It is not BRF folks but Govt thinks that the terminal is needed. Just because you are skeptical doesnt mean you pooh pooh the need for it.
Smaller container ships can transfer the containers from big ships and dont need such deep ports.

*NGT is a sinecure of the SC judges to hold on to Delhi posts and keeps the Jayanti Natrajan and NAClites busy.
When we have a court system why do we need this bokwas Tribunal?
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by sanjayc »

NGT was a Sonia Gandhi creation to stall India's development. It needs to be disbanded ASAP. I have heard of cases of these dudes approaching new commercial construction in Delhi asking for bribes. Some of its decisions are outlandish and inspired by foreign-funded NGOs ,such as the Rs 5 crore fine on Sr Sri Ravishankar for holding some event on Yamuna river bank -- when the SC asked them how they arrived at the figure of Rs 5 crore, they made a mockery of themselves in the court.

The problem is the non-judicial "experts" appointed by NGT -- these dudes are shady with Western links and can get any project stalled based on a signal from their masters. They are running a parallel government with a PIL kind of system -- anybody can approach them with complaint about any civil or military project in any part of India and these dudes are immediately in action to stall it. This unaccountable system can easily be exploited by the Whites and Chinese through NGOs and shady activists.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ind ... 353276.cms
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by Sachin »

Probe Agency's Request For Dreaded Gangsters
NIA asks Home Ministry to shift 10-12 gangsters to Andaman
Looks like the days of Kaalapani are back :lol:. The cellular prison is now a museum, so the guests most likely would be housed at Prothrapur or at Mayabander.

I always felt that shifting of trouble some criminals to prisons outside their mother states will actually improve things. This is especially for criminals who also have political backing at their respective states. My pet wish is to see the commie criminals now housed in jails in KL being 'transported' to state guest houses at Bellary, Andamans, Guwahati etc.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »



New Integrated Terminal Building of Veer Savarkar Int'l Airport: A beacon of Modern Infrastructure (Andaman & Nicobar)
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by bala »

AN OVERVIEW OF ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS by Lt. Gen Ajai Singh



There is a picture credit of Bharat Rakshak at 12:30 in the YT.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by chetak »

Great Nicobar Transhipment Port: Centre To Invite Tenders For First Phase Of Container Terminal Next Month


https://www.livemint.com/news/india/gov ... t%20month.


The government plans to invite bids for the ₹18,000-crore first phase of the proposed international container transshipment terminal at Great Nicobar next month.

Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of shipping, ports and inland waterways, said about a dozen entities have shown interest in the project and that tenders would be floated soon after the terms were finalised.
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

^^^Hope and pray the Transshipment port will be fully opperational before the end of Modi's 3rd term

++Plus the Island command should be further strengthened by placing more Naval and Airfare assets there
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by VinodTK »

PM Modi visits Lakshadweep, what a guy does scuba diving must be the first PM to do so
and sends a message to Maldeves that India can cut of their source of income by attracting the tourists to Lakshadweep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9E9zirB5oE&t=10s
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Re: India’s Ocean Territories (Andaman Nicobar & Lakshadweep)

Post by drnayar »

VinodTK wrote: 05 Jan 2024 08:21 PM Modi visits Lakshadweep, what a guy does scuba diving must be the first PM to do so
and sends a message to Maldeves that India can cut of their source of income by attracting the tourists to Lakshadweep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9E9zirB5oE&t=10s
Never heard of any PM in india or the world doing scuba diving.. !!
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