The Great Nicobar Port: A Critical Look at its Economic and Strategic Viability
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Geography (Location of Great Nicobar, Maritime Trade Routes, Andaman & Nicobar Islands); Indian Economy (Infrastructure - Ports, Transshipment, Investment Models); Security (INS Baaz).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 1 (Geography): "Geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features"; "Factors responsible for the location of... industries" (Location factors for a port).
General Studies Paper 2 (Governance): "Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation" (A critical analysis of a major policy).
General Studies Paper 3 (Economy & Security): "Infrastructure: Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc."; "Investment models"; "Security challenges and their management in border areas" (Maritime security in the Indian Ocean).
Key Highlights from the News
This article strongly questions the government's claim that the mega transshipment port proposed to be built in Galathea Bay, Great Nicobar Island, will be a "strategic and commercial game-changer."
The article points out that simply building port capacity will not attract ships. The author cites the example of the Vallarpadam port in Kerala.
Main shortcomings raised by the author:
No Hinterland: There is no industrial area or urban center nearby to support the port.
Lack of Network Connectivity: Existing hubs like Colombo and Singapore have strong feeder networks. Nicobar will need to build this from scratch.
Geographical Disadvantage: Being located 1,200 km from the Indian mainland will drastically increase operating costs.
Such a large commercial port is not necessary for strategic utility. The naval base INS Baaz is already there for surveillance.
The article also states that the argument for integrating this with Vizhinjam and Vadhavan ports is unrealistic.
COMMENTS