In an effort towards the planned and sustainable development of Port Blair town and the surrounding villages which are environmentally sensitive and ecologically fragile, the Hon’ble Lt. Governor has approved the Master Plan for Port Blair Planning Area and the approval is notified in A &N gazette. The Master Plan for Port Blair comes into operation with effect from the date of Notification that is on 1st March 2012. The Master Plan is a long term plan for the town and the surrounding villages incorporating physical, social, economic and environmental aspects of development.

This policy for power generation through new & renewable energy sources has been framed by the Electricity Department, A&N Islands. It provides greater thrust on promoting and developing renewable energy technologies and applications.

Report of the Committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to holistically address the issue of poaching in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

For the very first time an Island Protection Zone Notification, 2011 is being notified and published covering Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. This notification reconcile three objectives: protection of livelihoods of traditional fisherfolk communities; preservation of coastal ecology; and promotion of economic activity that have necessarily to be located in coastal regions.

India has a vast extent of coast line of about 8000 km spanning 13 maritime mainland states
and Union Territories, which are home to a diversity of coastal and marine ecosystems,
comprising nationally and globally significant biodiversity (Venkataraman and Wafar, 2005).
It also supports almost 30% of its human population being dependent on the rich exploitable

A regulation to amend the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956.

In the continuing saga on amendments to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) made public the draft Islands Protection Zone (IPZ) Notification, applicable to the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.

A working group was constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources under the Chairmanship of Sh S Kumar, Member, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) to prepare and approach paper on groundwater quality issues and its mitigation plan in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands.