The Centre on Wednesday has given its approval for provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) between the Mainland (Chennai), and Port Blair along five other islands — Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Havelock, Kamorta and Great Nicobar.

The estimated cost of the project is ₹1,102.38 crore, including operational expenses for five years. The project is likely to be completed by December 2018.

Connectivity boost

The approval would equip Andaman & Nicobar Islands with appropriate bandwidth and telecom connectivity for implementation of e-governance initiatives through establishment of enterprises and e-commerce facilities, an official statement said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also chaired a high-level meeting to review the steps towards holistic development of islands on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister was given a presentation on the vision for holistic development, which involved inputs from the NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and other senior officials.

Officials informed the Prime Minister that developmental activities for the islands shall be centred around basic infrastructure, tourism, agriculture (including organic agriculture and fisheries), and carbon-neutral energy generation.

Emphasising on the strategic importance of India’s island wealth, Modi stressed the potential for tourism in these areas, an official statement said.

Urging the officials to speedily firm up plans for island development, the Prime Minister said solar energy should be used extensively in this exercise, the statement added.

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