The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has proposed protection and development works at Indira Point and the famous lighthouse at the site in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Through the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships, Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair), an agency under the ministry, the Centre has sought coastal regulation zone clearance to carry out the proposed work.Indira Point is India’s southernmost tip, located on the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) in the Union Territory (UT) of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is an important maritime landmark, and lies to the south of the Galathea Bay, where a transshipment port has been proposed under the GNI mega infrastructure project.The lighthouse located at Indira Point is an important landmark on the Singapore-Colombo international maritime route and is used as a navigational aid by mariners. It also holds importance for safe navigation towards the Galathea Bay in the coming times, where a transshipment port has been proposed.Also read | Great Nicobar task: Pursuing national security with ecological responsibilityEarlier, Indira Point was known as Pygmalion Point, but was renamed in 1985, as per the Directorate of Lighthouse and Lightships, after the demise of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The lighthouse was commissioned in April 1972 and it is 35 metres high. The lighthouse tower is made of cast iron, painted with red and white bands.Protection and development proposalThe Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, through the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, wants to structurally repair and eventually develop tourism infrastructure and facilities around the lighthouse.The Centre wants to strengthen the structure, the immediate site around it and along with it, it has proposed a string of development activities. In late November 2023, Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways made an official tour to the GNI and visited the proposed site of the International Container Transshipment Port at Galathea Bay. Sonowal also visited Indira Point and directed Union Territory and the Centre’s officials to explore the site’s development as a tourism destination including tourism amenities and facilities.Subsequently, the project was approved by the Central Advisory Committee of Aids to Navigation to “preserve and protect the lighthouse for its functional requirement for safety of mariners, rich legacy of region, for historic and cultural significant for future generations”, as per the project’s environmental impact assessment study.Story continues below this ad The site faced permanent land-subsidence during the 2004 earthquake and tsunami. Photo: Detailed Project Report by IIT-M on Indira Point development proposalAs per the detailed project report by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), the structural reinforcements will include repair and strengthening of the lighthouse tower’s foundation, an all-weather approach road, shore protection works with break waters around the tower, powerhouse, inspection and staff quarters, compound wall and internal pathways.Separately, development activities for tourism promotion have been proposed. These include eco-tourism, convention centre, cafeteria, viewing tower, cycle tracks, and an international standard museum building as well as a memorial structure.Coastal protection and clearancesThe works proposed fall in sensitive coastal habitats, which are protected under the Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) Notification, 2019. So, it needs prior approval from the UT’s Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Environment Ministry.The 2019 Notification provides a regulatory framework for protection of coastal stretches, marine habitats and livelihoods of fisher and other coastal communities across the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands.Story continues below this adAlso read | The question the Great Nicobar project raises: Is what can be justified also just?As per coastal zone maps and the project proposal, the protection and development works fall in the most sensitive ICRZ-IA areas and some others in ICRZ-IVA. ICRZ-IA areas are environmentally the most critical and include mangrove cover, coral and coral reefs, sand dunes, mudflats, national parks and marine parks, notified forests, salt marshes, turtle nesting grounds. ICRZ-IVA includes the water area and the sea bed area between the low tide line, up to 12 nautical miles on the seaward side.The lighthouse structure has faced weathering and the structural issues it faces can also be attributed to the changes it faced during the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami. The 2004 natural calamity had a huge impact on the entire Andaman and Nicobar island group, causing uplift in some areas and land sinking in others.NewsletterFollow our daily newsletter so you never miss anything important. On Wednesday, we answer readers' questions.SubscribeThe site where Indira Point is situated, specifically, faced permanent land-subsidence during this historic event. Originally, the site of the lighthouse and associated structures was at a height of 3.5 m above mean sea level. When the earthquake and tsunami struck the island, the land sinking and the inland ingress of the sea engulfed the lighthouse tower while destroying quarters and huts around it. Scientists and authorities have estimated that the Nicobar islands sunk 2.04 m, thus submerging the lighthouse base and foundation in sea.The geological and shoreline changes have exposed the foundation to seawater since 2004, extreme wave conditions during high tide, as per an assessment carried out by IIT-M for the proposed development works. The lighthouse also shows a 3.86° inclination or tilt, which was, however, not considered as a risk to its structural stability or safety.Story continues below this adMoreover, the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships, Sri Vijaya Puram, have noted that the lighthouse and associated structure has become vulnerable due to coastal erosion, wave action, shoreline changes, which requires its strengthening.