04-14-2007, 05:11 AM
How does this project sound?
This Ainât No Pipedream:
India-Myanmar Gas Pipeline and West Bengal SEZ
at the Nayachara-Ghoramara Island
Recent news reports of Myanmar signing a MOU to supply natural gas to China, over preference to India, should not come as a huge surprise. Analysts suggest that inordinate delays caused by the Indian government in selecting the best possible origin-destination transit corridor may have largely contributed to the Myanmarese tilting the decision in Chinaâs favor. If true, then the geopolitical price which India will have to bear, a strategic miscalculation entirely of its own making, has just escalated considerably.
India must do all it can and take immediate steps to salvage this very important strategic space ceded to China in its very own neighborhood. The good news is that a mere signing of a MOU (for the A -1 and A â 3 block) does not necessarily constitute a formal agreement. India can still come out a winner provided it engages Myanmar with a sound business plan alternative superior to Chinaâs, coupled with a healthy mix of appropriate economic, military and political package. The political mix should include a SAARC membership for Myanmar, a necessary step to bring Myanmar into Indiaâs sphere of influence and break its international isolation.
The Indian action should not be seen as a game of one-upmanship. The India-Myanmar gas pipeline (map 1) business model trumps any other trans-national agreement in terms of economic viability, environmental safety, and in the context of the geo-political âlook eastâ paradigm which the Indian government has been trying to engage in.
Although the Myanmar government has not provided any specific reason for its China decision, a major contributing factor cited by experts may have been the inordinate time delay caused in determining the most economical and efficient transit corridor for the gas pipeline from Myanmar to India. Over the years, the Indian government has engaged in a series of protracted and unfortunately, unsuccessful negotiations with the Bangladeshi government over securing transit route through that country. It has also explored an alternate, circuitous route traversing several of its North Eastern states. The third option, transporting and routing the gas through a direct offshore underwater pipeline has also been studied, but possibly, due to the relatively higher upfront capital cost-structure inherent in laying pipes undersea, has not seriously been considered. Until now!
Given the dramatically changed business situation where Myanmarâs economy will slowly but surely get inextricably linked and sealed under Chinaâs mercantilist romp towards global domination, now, more than ever, it becomes imperative for the Indian government to seriously consider and undertake the implementation of the offshore pipeline in an expeditious manner. A cost-benefit study will validate that, as opposed to the other two options mentioned above, the offshore model might actually prove to be most economical and environmentally sustainable in the long-term.
Why the other two options may not be feasible.
Transit corridor through Bangladesh: if past trends are any indicator for predicting future behavior, and the two decades-long simmering dispute over sharing the Ganga water at Farakka is a clear proof of that, then it is reasonably safe to assume that the fate of the project and its viability can, and will be forever held hostage to the whims of Bangladeshi politics de jour. Enough! Time now for India to stop engaging in futile negotiations and move on to explore other options!
Transit corridor through the North-East States: Economic hardships resulting from land acquisition as right-of-way from thousands of residents along the transit corridor; environmental degradation, and the loss of time and money resulting from spills or loss due to accidents, sabotage; the lack of political will, the time delays associated with dealing with a myriad of legislative, compensatory, social and other issues involving multiple states, will take forever to resolve and implement. No time to waste!
(As an example, many Assamese have long nurtured a grievance that although the oil fields are in Assam, the refinery was built all the way in Barauni, Bihar. In the present scenario, what stops some states from indefinitely delaying the construction of the pipeline unless the âfair shareâ issue is resolved to their satisfaction, or in creating disharmony by labeling accusations that West Bengalâs economic development will be carried out at their expense?)
Although the goal of an integrated network of pipelines to serve the North Eastern states is laudable and must be implemented eventually, the Myanmar gas pipeline must not become hostage to the situation. Time is of essence and India just canât afford to squander the opportunity in these protracted internecine squabbles.
Considering that the two contentious models may not be implementable in the near-term, the offshore underwater option looks suddenly extremely attractive. The Indian government, the West Bengal government, and the Indian industry should come together and work collaboratively to execute the offshore pipeline without further delay.
Based on my background as a practioner of community and regional planning with specialization in transportation, and having studied a myriad of global coastal development projects over the past decade, I am outlining a vision plan to make this a reality. The proposal, if implemented, could herald the economic renaissance of West Bengal, benefit the less-developed regions of central, north-central and east India, and quite possibly become the precursor to the second-generation economic reform in India.
The proposal outlines an audacious yet a very innovative developmental approach by creating a 100 square kilometers (10,000 hectares) offshore-island Special Economic Zone at the estuary of the Bay of Bengal reclaimed from existing and reclaimed land from sea.
When it comes to Special Economic Zones, size does matter! This size of the SEZ model which this proposal enumerates goes against the contemporary mind-set which seems to have, post-Nandigram, gripped Indian policy planners. But thatâs precisely the point! The size and the location of the suggested island-SEZ offers the fundamental bedrock upon which economies of scale can be achieved for companies planning ultra mega projects in India. And, more importantly, that which would make the India-Myanmar offshore gas pipeline economically feasible!
India can do it.
And hereâs how:
First, the Offshore Island-SEZ: The Master Plan recommends creating a Special Economic Zone by dredging, reclaiming and amalgamating land from sea and from Nayachara - Ghoramara (N-G) islands, submerged islands, Balari bar area, Jiggerkhali Flats, Jellingham and Auckland bar, Haldiaâs second Dock and Storage area, Hooghly river all the way to the Kolkata port, and any other viable area in the vicinity of the estuary of Bay of Bengal (map 2).
In the post-Nandigram era, the concept of developing an island-SEZ in West Bengal takes on special significance since most the land will be reclaimed from sea and will not involve massive land acquisitions from farmers and residents on the mainland. In fact, the reclamation process will create new land, with almost no adverse political fallout. Politicians can take this development model as an all round winning proposition to their constituents.
The proposed size of the island SEZ is estimated at approximately 100 square kilometers (10,000 hectares). This island-SEZ will become the platform for businesses considering setting up of large, ultra mega projects with investment expected in the range of $30 billion or more.
Second, Dredging in the Hooghly river and the Bay of Bengal area:: Clichés like "someone's trash is another personâs treasure," and âkilling two birds with one stone,â may sound out of place in these modern times, but consider this: What the Dredging Corporation of India and the Kalkota Port Trust/Haldia consider trash (silt and sediment - dredged material!) and have difficulty disposing off, now becomes the developer's treasure! Much of the fill for creating the island can be obtained very close to the source. And the two birds analogy makes excellent sense in that the dredging process also helps in deepening and widening the entire navigation channel in the area including up to the Kolkata port.
The navigation channel in the Kolkata/Haldia port is plagued with horrendous silt and sedimentation choke points with decreasing levels of draughts rendering shipping extremely hazardous. Due to its unique location, the geomorphologic contours of the estuary region are ever changing â new islands and mudflats are created while old ones get submerged creating havoc in the shipping channels. Previous schemes to dredge the navigation channel have resulted in mixed and less than satisfactory results. The prohibitive costs associated with dredging and maintenance of navigation channel has also been a recurring drain on the national exchequer.
However, the current status quo approach is simply not acceptable. The time now is to completely and comprehensively undertake a major capital dredging operation to make the navigation channel absolutely world-class, capable of accepting most of the worldâs largest ships.
Preliminary studies indicates that approximately 300 - 350 million cubic meters of dredged material may be required as fill to create the new reclaimed island. Working together, the various government agencies and the developer can undertake to dredge the entire navigation channel upto Kolkata port, Balari bar area, Jiggerkhali Flat, Jellingham and Auckland bar, and other targeted areas widening and deepening the navigation channel while making it safe for international shipping. It is a win-win situation for all stakeholders.
Third, Elements of the Island-SEZ: the self-contained, multi-modal, multi-product island-city SEZ (three times the size of Jurong Island, Singapore) proposes targeting specific industries in the manufacturing and services sector.
a) Chemical hub: patterned along the lines of Jurong Island, build and develop a world-class chemical, petroleum, oil, gas and a distribution/logistics hub for the Indian and global market.
The island SEZâs strategic location, size, proximity to the market place, easy accessibility to the deepwater seaport, and the quick ingress and egress will offer unparalleled economies of scale for companies considering ultra mega projects. This will more than compensate for the initial high-cost incurred in laying the 500 kms. (GAIL estimate) offshore gas pipeline from Myanmar to island-SEZ. Companies like the ONGC, IOCL, GAIL, RELIANCE and others could work collaboratively to ensure joint-development of the gas pipeline.
b) An island-based gas based Power Plant to supply all energy needs for the island SEZ and West Bengal.
c) A Deepwater Seaport with varying draughts reaching upto 14 meters in the southern part of the island and capable of handling post-seuzmax, Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCCâs), Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCâs) and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) tankers.
d) Haldiaâs Second Dock and Storage area: Excavate the identified land area and use the material as fill. The second Haldia dock and Storage area can now be constructed at considerably lower cost.
e) Kolkataâs Second Airport. Post-Nandigram, acquisition of large amounts of land for public services will become highly contentious, if not impossible. The current proposal to build a 4,000 acre second Kolkata airport in the Sonarpur - Baruipur area, close to the heavily populated southern suburbs of Kolkata, therefore, in all probability, is a non-starter. Also, the NSC Bose International airportâs size and operational efficiency will always be restricted due to its geographic limitations. Therefore, any meaningful airport planning approach has to consider building the airport at an offshore site, away from major population centers. During the past decade, the Japanese, Chinese, Korean and other Asian countries have dramatically, improved and upgraded their airport capacity by successfully building offshore island-airports from land reclaimed from the sea.
There are enough data points to validate the concept of designing and building greenfield airports on offshore islands which should provide an excellent roadmap for Indian policy planners to consider.
The Nayachara-Ghoramara (N-G) island SEZ proposes to allocate approximately 1,000 hectares for building Kolkataâs second airport. The airport is designed for operational capacity of 50 million passengers per year and as yet, an undetermined cargo handling capacity. The new 24-hour island-airport is expected to become the primary gateway to east India.
f) Rail-Road-Bridge and Oil/Gas Pipeline connectivity from the N-G island SEZ to the west and east mainland of West Bengal. The multi-modal, seamless transportation system will integrate the island SEZ within the larger regional transportation network with major cities like Sealdah, Howrah, Kolkata, Kharagpur and beyond. The Rail-Road connectivity will also open up the hinterland for a faster economic expansion and integration not only in Bengal, but in the less-developed eastern reaches of India. For e.g. the Japanese funded rail corridor can be linked directly to the Haldia port. Tata Power can reduce transportation costs by importing substantially larger quantities of coal from Indonesia for its operations on the mainland. In short, the island N-G SEZ will become the major economic engine, not just for West Bengal, but for the entire region.
g) I C E and Financial Services city: A world-class Information, Communication, Entertainment, and Financial Services Center.
h) Education City: A global education city with world-class global, Indian and specialized academic, vocational and technical schools.
i) Manufacturing, Processing and Assembly industries: Given the close proximity to rich natural resources and minerals within the region, non-polluting, hi-technology manufacturing/ processing/assembly type of industries will find the infrastructure-rich island irresistible for setting up operations there.
j) Shipbuilding and Maritime Industry: The island SEZ will provide the necessary infrastructure to establish Indiaâs foremost shipbuilding capability by offering shipbuilders world class facilities. The deepwater seaport offers perfect synergistic opportunities for companies considering shipbuilding facilities in the region.
k) Aquaculture Farming: Increase the livelihood of regional farmers and fishermen by creating a world-class aquaculture farming industry.
l) Eco Tourism and Water and Leisure Sports: Encourage and set-up environmentally friendly flora and fauna for long term sustainability of the SEZ. Fishing, boating, scuba diving, and other water-based sports activity to be encouraged in the island.
m) Housing Development at Nandigram, East Midnapore, West Bengal: As part of the seeking a therapeutic closure to the unfortunate loss of life at Nandigram, invest in real estate by creating and developing multiple housing projects in the Nandigram area. Nandigram residents would benefit directly in terms of employment generated by the SEZ. Investing in the âsocialâ infrastructure at Nandigram would help bring about a âclosureâ to the unfortunate incident and provide a cathartic healing effect to the entire nation.
Fourth, Environmental and Coastal Restoration must become the most important hallmark and the primary reason behind the undertaking the island SEZ project.
According to experts, environmental degradation, population growth, and global warming have contributed to the terrible loss of the ecosystem in the Sunderbans Delta. Ironically, commercial exploitation as part of an overall investment strategy may be the only way to generate funds for undertaking the massive environmental and coastal restoration of the fragile ecosystem in the Sunderbans region.
This proposal addresses environmental issues by placing top priority in the belief that all steps, all developmental activities, and every effort must be directed to comply and conform to the highest global environmental standards. Ultimately, any developmental effort which does not take into the primacy of addressing the environmental issues should never be permitted.
A systems approach will include the entire range of coastal zone management and infrastructure, sustainable development, mangrove restoration, studies of coastal geology and morphology, hydrographic survey and monitoring, impact on living resources, water, oil, waste disposal and control, and any other issues consistent with and relevant to coastal and port development of such magnitude.
Fifth, politically, the Indian government, as part of its âLook Eastâ strategy, must mount an immediate campaign to co-opt Myanmar to reconsider its China decision. They must underscore to the Myanmarese government that building an offshore pipeline is in their best economic and geo-political interests. This, because a) the offshore option will be environmentally lot safer for the Myanmarese people than building it overland, which the Chinese must; b) it will be the right thing to do, as it will not dislocate and dispossess local Myanmarese people from their land dwellings because the pipeline will not traverse their lands; c) will be safe from political unrest, chances of sabotage, accidental spills within Myanmar and that d) cooperation with India would be a very safe investment for the Myanmar government.
India must play up to these strengths, as well as provide other incentives as suggested earlier to persuade the Myanmarese government to drop the MOU with China and enter into a mutually beneficial agreement with India instead. A visit by the Indian Prime Minister to Myanmar may prove to be strategically significant. In short, transform the âLook Eastâ policy into a more dynamic and demostratable âDo Eastâ working plan!
Of course, if the Myanmar government still goes ahead with the China initiative, then the Indian government should quietly influence the human rights activists to ratchet up the global opposition to the China-Myanmar deal.
Lastly, pre-feasibility studies conclude that the proposal is economically, financially, technologically, environmentally as well as politically feasible and sustainable. Letâs do it India!
© Copyright 2007
This Ainât No Pipedream:
India-Myanmar Gas Pipeline and West Bengal SEZ
at the Nayachara-Ghoramara Island
Recent news reports of Myanmar signing a MOU to supply natural gas to China, over preference to India, should not come as a huge surprise. Analysts suggest that inordinate delays caused by the Indian government in selecting the best possible origin-destination transit corridor may have largely contributed to the Myanmarese tilting the decision in Chinaâs favor. If true, then the geopolitical price which India will have to bear, a strategic miscalculation entirely of its own making, has just escalated considerably.
India must do all it can and take immediate steps to salvage this very important strategic space ceded to China in its very own neighborhood. The good news is that a mere signing of a MOU (for the A -1 and A â 3 block) does not necessarily constitute a formal agreement. India can still come out a winner provided it engages Myanmar with a sound business plan alternative superior to Chinaâs, coupled with a healthy mix of appropriate economic, military and political package. The political mix should include a SAARC membership for Myanmar, a necessary step to bring Myanmar into Indiaâs sphere of influence and break its international isolation.
The Indian action should not be seen as a game of one-upmanship. The India-Myanmar gas pipeline (map 1) business model trumps any other trans-national agreement in terms of economic viability, environmental safety, and in the context of the geo-political âlook eastâ paradigm which the Indian government has been trying to engage in.
Although the Myanmar government has not provided any specific reason for its China decision, a major contributing factor cited by experts may have been the inordinate time delay caused in determining the most economical and efficient transit corridor for the gas pipeline from Myanmar to India. Over the years, the Indian government has engaged in a series of protracted and unfortunately, unsuccessful negotiations with the Bangladeshi government over securing transit route through that country. It has also explored an alternate, circuitous route traversing several of its North Eastern states. The third option, transporting and routing the gas through a direct offshore underwater pipeline has also been studied, but possibly, due to the relatively higher upfront capital cost-structure inherent in laying pipes undersea, has not seriously been considered. Until now!
Given the dramatically changed business situation where Myanmarâs economy will slowly but surely get inextricably linked and sealed under Chinaâs mercantilist romp towards global domination, now, more than ever, it becomes imperative for the Indian government to seriously consider and undertake the implementation of the offshore pipeline in an expeditious manner. A cost-benefit study will validate that, as opposed to the other two options mentioned above, the offshore model might actually prove to be most economical and environmentally sustainable in the long-term.
Why the other two options may not be feasible.
Transit corridor through Bangladesh: if past trends are any indicator for predicting future behavior, and the two decades-long simmering dispute over sharing the Ganga water at Farakka is a clear proof of that, then it is reasonably safe to assume that the fate of the project and its viability can, and will be forever held hostage to the whims of Bangladeshi politics de jour. Enough! Time now for India to stop engaging in futile negotiations and move on to explore other options!
Transit corridor through the North-East States: Economic hardships resulting from land acquisition as right-of-way from thousands of residents along the transit corridor; environmental degradation, and the loss of time and money resulting from spills or loss due to accidents, sabotage; the lack of political will, the time delays associated with dealing with a myriad of legislative, compensatory, social and other issues involving multiple states, will take forever to resolve and implement. No time to waste!
(As an example, many Assamese have long nurtured a grievance that although the oil fields are in Assam, the refinery was built all the way in Barauni, Bihar. In the present scenario, what stops some states from indefinitely delaying the construction of the pipeline unless the âfair shareâ issue is resolved to their satisfaction, or in creating disharmony by labeling accusations that West Bengalâs economic development will be carried out at their expense?)
Although the goal of an integrated network of pipelines to serve the North Eastern states is laudable and must be implemented eventually, the Myanmar gas pipeline must not become hostage to the situation. Time is of essence and India just canât afford to squander the opportunity in these protracted internecine squabbles.
Considering that the two contentious models may not be implementable in the near-term, the offshore underwater option looks suddenly extremely attractive. The Indian government, the West Bengal government, and the Indian industry should come together and work collaboratively to execute the offshore pipeline without further delay.
Based on my background as a practioner of community and regional planning with specialization in transportation, and having studied a myriad of global coastal development projects over the past decade, I am outlining a vision plan to make this a reality. The proposal, if implemented, could herald the economic renaissance of West Bengal, benefit the less-developed regions of central, north-central and east India, and quite possibly become the precursor to the second-generation economic reform in India.
The proposal outlines an audacious yet a very innovative developmental approach by creating a 100 square kilometers (10,000 hectares) offshore-island Special Economic Zone at the estuary of the Bay of Bengal reclaimed from existing and reclaimed land from sea.
When it comes to Special Economic Zones, size does matter! This size of the SEZ model which this proposal enumerates goes against the contemporary mind-set which seems to have, post-Nandigram, gripped Indian policy planners. But thatâs precisely the point! The size and the location of the suggested island-SEZ offers the fundamental bedrock upon which economies of scale can be achieved for companies planning ultra mega projects in India. And, more importantly, that which would make the India-Myanmar offshore gas pipeline economically feasible!
India can do it.
And hereâs how:
First, the Offshore Island-SEZ: The Master Plan recommends creating a Special Economic Zone by dredging, reclaiming and amalgamating land from sea and from Nayachara - Ghoramara (N-G) islands, submerged islands, Balari bar area, Jiggerkhali Flats, Jellingham and Auckland bar, Haldiaâs second Dock and Storage area, Hooghly river all the way to the Kolkata port, and any other viable area in the vicinity of the estuary of Bay of Bengal (map 2).
In the post-Nandigram era, the concept of developing an island-SEZ in West Bengal takes on special significance since most the land will be reclaimed from sea and will not involve massive land acquisitions from farmers and residents on the mainland. In fact, the reclamation process will create new land, with almost no adverse political fallout. Politicians can take this development model as an all round winning proposition to their constituents.
The proposed size of the island SEZ is estimated at approximately 100 square kilometers (10,000 hectares). This island-SEZ will become the platform for businesses considering setting up of large, ultra mega projects with investment expected in the range of $30 billion or more.
Second, Dredging in the Hooghly river and the Bay of Bengal area:: Clichés like "someone's trash is another personâs treasure," and âkilling two birds with one stone,â may sound out of place in these modern times, but consider this: What the Dredging Corporation of India and the Kalkota Port Trust/Haldia consider trash (silt and sediment - dredged material!) and have difficulty disposing off, now becomes the developer's treasure! Much of the fill for creating the island can be obtained very close to the source. And the two birds analogy makes excellent sense in that the dredging process also helps in deepening and widening the entire navigation channel in the area including up to the Kolkata port.
The navigation channel in the Kolkata/Haldia port is plagued with horrendous silt and sedimentation choke points with decreasing levels of draughts rendering shipping extremely hazardous. Due to its unique location, the geomorphologic contours of the estuary region are ever changing â new islands and mudflats are created while old ones get submerged creating havoc in the shipping channels. Previous schemes to dredge the navigation channel have resulted in mixed and less than satisfactory results. The prohibitive costs associated with dredging and maintenance of navigation channel has also been a recurring drain on the national exchequer.
However, the current status quo approach is simply not acceptable. The time now is to completely and comprehensively undertake a major capital dredging operation to make the navigation channel absolutely world-class, capable of accepting most of the worldâs largest ships.
Preliminary studies indicates that approximately 300 - 350 million cubic meters of dredged material may be required as fill to create the new reclaimed island. Working together, the various government agencies and the developer can undertake to dredge the entire navigation channel upto Kolkata port, Balari bar area, Jiggerkhali Flat, Jellingham and Auckland bar, and other targeted areas widening and deepening the navigation channel while making it safe for international shipping. It is a win-win situation for all stakeholders.
Third, Elements of the Island-SEZ: the self-contained, multi-modal, multi-product island-city SEZ (three times the size of Jurong Island, Singapore) proposes targeting specific industries in the manufacturing and services sector.
a) Chemical hub: patterned along the lines of Jurong Island, build and develop a world-class chemical, petroleum, oil, gas and a distribution/logistics hub for the Indian and global market.
The island SEZâs strategic location, size, proximity to the market place, easy accessibility to the deepwater seaport, and the quick ingress and egress will offer unparalleled economies of scale for companies considering ultra mega projects. This will more than compensate for the initial high-cost incurred in laying the 500 kms. (GAIL estimate) offshore gas pipeline from Myanmar to island-SEZ. Companies like the ONGC, IOCL, GAIL, RELIANCE and others could work collaboratively to ensure joint-development of the gas pipeline.
b) An island-based gas based Power Plant to supply all energy needs for the island SEZ and West Bengal.
c) A Deepwater Seaport with varying draughts reaching upto 14 meters in the southern part of the island and capable of handling post-seuzmax, Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCCâs), Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCâs) and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) tankers.
d) Haldiaâs Second Dock and Storage area: Excavate the identified land area and use the material as fill. The second Haldia dock and Storage area can now be constructed at considerably lower cost.
e) Kolkataâs Second Airport. Post-Nandigram, acquisition of large amounts of land for public services will become highly contentious, if not impossible. The current proposal to build a 4,000 acre second Kolkata airport in the Sonarpur - Baruipur area, close to the heavily populated southern suburbs of Kolkata, therefore, in all probability, is a non-starter. Also, the NSC Bose International airportâs size and operational efficiency will always be restricted due to its geographic limitations. Therefore, any meaningful airport planning approach has to consider building the airport at an offshore site, away from major population centers. During the past decade, the Japanese, Chinese, Korean and other Asian countries have dramatically, improved and upgraded their airport capacity by successfully building offshore island-airports from land reclaimed from the sea.
There are enough data points to validate the concept of designing and building greenfield airports on offshore islands which should provide an excellent roadmap for Indian policy planners to consider.
The Nayachara-Ghoramara (N-G) island SEZ proposes to allocate approximately 1,000 hectares for building Kolkataâs second airport. The airport is designed for operational capacity of 50 million passengers per year and as yet, an undetermined cargo handling capacity. The new 24-hour island-airport is expected to become the primary gateway to east India.
f) Rail-Road-Bridge and Oil/Gas Pipeline connectivity from the N-G island SEZ to the west and east mainland of West Bengal. The multi-modal, seamless transportation system will integrate the island SEZ within the larger regional transportation network with major cities like Sealdah, Howrah, Kolkata, Kharagpur and beyond. The Rail-Road connectivity will also open up the hinterland for a faster economic expansion and integration not only in Bengal, but in the less-developed eastern reaches of India. For e.g. the Japanese funded rail corridor can be linked directly to the Haldia port. Tata Power can reduce transportation costs by importing substantially larger quantities of coal from Indonesia for its operations on the mainland. In short, the island N-G SEZ will become the major economic engine, not just for West Bengal, but for the entire region.
g) I C E and Financial Services city: A world-class Information, Communication, Entertainment, and Financial Services Center.
h) Education City: A global education city with world-class global, Indian and specialized academic, vocational and technical schools.
i) Manufacturing, Processing and Assembly industries: Given the close proximity to rich natural resources and minerals within the region, non-polluting, hi-technology manufacturing/ processing/assembly type of industries will find the infrastructure-rich island irresistible for setting up operations there.
j) Shipbuilding and Maritime Industry: The island SEZ will provide the necessary infrastructure to establish Indiaâs foremost shipbuilding capability by offering shipbuilders world class facilities. The deepwater seaport offers perfect synergistic opportunities for companies considering shipbuilding facilities in the region.
k) Aquaculture Farming: Increase the livelihood of regional farmers and fishermen by creating a world-class aquaculture farming industry.
l) Eco Tourism and Water and Leisure Sports: Encourage and set-up environmentally friendly flora and fauna for long term sustainability of the SEZ. Fishing, boating, scuba diving, and other water-based sports activity to be encouraged in the island.
m) Housing Development at Nandigram, East Midnapore, West Bengal: As part of the seeking a therapeutic closure to the unfortunate loss of life at Nandigram, invest in real estate by creating and developing multiple housing projects in the Nandigram area. Nandigram residents would benefit directly in terms of employment generated by the SEZ. Investing in the âsocialâ infrastructure at Nandigram would help bring about a âclosureâ to the unfortunate incident and provide a cathartic healing effect to the entire nation.
Fourth, Environmental and Coastal Restoration must become the most important hallmark and the primary reason behind the undertaking the island SEZ project.
According to experts, environmental degradation, population growth, and global warming have contributed to the terrible loss of the ecosystem in the Sunderbans Delta. Ironically, commercial exploitation as part of an overall investment strategy may be the only way to generate funds for undertaking the massive environmental and coastal restoration of the fragile ecosystem in the Sunderbans region.
This proposal addresses environmental issues by placing top priority in the belief that all steps, all developmental activities, and every effort must be directed to comply and conform to the highest global environmental standards. Ultimately, any developmental effort which does not take into the primacy of addressing the environmental issues should never be permitted.
A systems approach will include the entire range of coastal zone management and infrastructure, sustainable development, mangrove restoration, studies of coastal geology and morphology, hydrographic survey and monitoring, impact on living resources, water, oil, waste disposal and control, and any other issues consistent with and relevant to coastal and port development of such magnitude.
Fifth, politically, the Indian government, as part of its âLook Eastâ strategy, must mount an immediate campaign to co-opt Myanmar to reconsider its China decision. They must underscore to the Myanmarese government that building an offshore pipeline is in their best economic and geo-political interests. This, because a) the offshore option will be environmentally lot safer for the Myanmarese people than building it overland, which the Chinese must; b) it will be the right thing to do, as it will not dislocate and dispossess local Myanmarese people from their land dwellings because the pipeline will not traverse their lands; c) will be safe from political unrest, chances of sabotage, accidental spills within Myanmar and that d) cooperation with India would be a very safe investment for the Myanmar government.
India must play up to these strengths, as well as provide other incentives as suggested earlier to persuade the Myanmarese government to drop the MOU with China and enter into a mutually beneficial agreement with India instead. A visit by the Indian Prime Minister to Myanmar may prove to be strategically significant. In short, transform the âLook Eastâ policy into a more dynamic and demostratable âDo Eastâ working plan!
Of course, if the Myanmar government still goes ahead with the China initiative, then the Indian government should quietly influence the human rights activists to ratchet up the global opposition to the China-Myanmar deal.
Lastly, pre-feasibility studies conclude that the proposal is economically, financially, technologically, environmentally as well as politically feasible and sustainable. Letâs do it India!
© Copyright 2007