The Indo-Pacific becomes the geopolitically contested zone in the twenty first century. The Indian Ocean that had remained quiet after the cold war is emerging as a critical hotspot for geostrategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. In History, Islands played a vital role in shaping the maritime interest of the nations. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have rich maritime history right from the Chola dynasty to the Second World War.
In Chola dynasty which was the one of the longest and mightiest ruling dynasties of this region, was the one who first tapped into the importance of these island arc. The Chola dynasty being the mightiest in the pages of the South Indian history led by Rajendra Cholal, use this strategic location as an anchor point and naval check post for its expansion and adventures towards Southeast Asia. After conquering Sri Lanka, the same navy raided Srivijaya empire through the base in these small strategic islands.
Accounting for 30 per cent of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Andamanand Nicobar Islands (ANI) in the Bay of Bengal have been acknowledged as adistinctive strategic asset only in the 21st centuryFor a long time, the national effort to capitalise on the islands seemedoptimistic, at best. Despite its proximity to the Strait of Malacca, the world’s busiestshipping lane and possibly its most integral chokepoint, and playing host to theAndaman and Nicobar Command (ANC),
Post the Kargil Conflict in 1999, on the Kargil review committee's recommendations, the Group of Ministers approved the establishment of an integrated Command in May 2001.India’s s first and only integrated command,the islands were scarcely referred to as a viable strategic asset.
Some other aspects:-
Counterbalancing the Chinese influence
An increase of Chinese influence in the littoral states using the "string of pearls" strategy can be counterbalanced by India's push towards the development of Andaman and Nicobar islands using the 'SAGAR MALA' initiative and Act East Policy.
Geopolitical asset
A combination of Geographical location by straddling the choke point of Malacca strait, at a distance of 1200km from Indian Mainland and north-to-south spread of these islands stretching over 750km makes ANI a valuable geopolitical asset in the 21st century by playing a crucial role in maritime competition in the Indo-Pacific.
Surveillance and Power Projection
ANI facilitates domination of the Bay of Bengal, the Six-degree channel, and the ten-degreechannel, also parts of the Indian Ocean.
India is to bolster its presence in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific, it must takeadvantage of its geography, specifically the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These Islands can bebuilt up as a self-sustaining economic Model and rationale for developing commercial and militaryinfrastructure as a "dual maritime eco-system". Recently India has initiated the Chennai-Andamanptic fiber cable laying project which is a positive step to promote development of these islands
These formerly abandoned islands havenow become one of the emerging hotspots for India. It allows India long-time aspiration of beinga "net security provider" in the wider Indo-Pacific region.
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