Andaman’s Power Crisis: New Delhi Theatrics Must Learn From US's Strategic Blunder In Guam Island

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are not just a tropical paradise; they are India’s strategic sentinel in the Indo-Pacific, a linchpin in countering China’s maritime ambitions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisions these islands as a geostrategic powerhouse, pivotal for national security and regional influence. Yet, a deepening power crisis threatens to unravel this vision, exposing institutional theatrics and bureaucratic inertia that mirror a costly mistake made by the United States in its Pacific outpost, Guam. For the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to realize their full potential, Lt. Governor D.K. Joshi and New Delhi must abandon superficial governance and embrace full-spectrum administration—before it’s too late.

The Guam Lesson: A Cautionary Tale

The United States learned a hard lesson in Guam, a strategic hub in the Pacific. The Department of Defense and Navy prioritized rapid militarization, pouring resources into bases while neglecting civilian infrastructure, particularly power systems. The result? Frequent outages crippled both civilian life and military operations, undermining Guam’s reliability as a strategic asset. During crises like the Vietnam War, the island’s inadequate power grid buckled under the strain of expanded military needs, exposing a critical vulnerability. Andaman’s leadership must heed this warning: a strategic hub is only as strong as its weakest link.

The Power Crises

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands face a power crisis that threatens their strategic and economic vitality. Isolated from India’s National Grid, the islands rely on diesel generator (DG) sets managed by the Electricity Department. With a meager 5 MW of in-house generation capacity, the department leans heavily on private producers operating small, unstable 1-5 MW sets prone to frequent breakdowns. In Sri Vijayapuram and South Andaman, a 15 MW shortfall against a 50 MW demand translates to grueling 5-10 hour daily power cuts, with outages now stretching to 12-16 hours in some areas.BJP MP Bishnu Pada Ray, in a scathing letter to the Prime Minister and Home Minister, lays bare the ground reality. He highlights a proposed 15 MW augmentation at Chatham and Phoenix Bay powerhouses, languishing in bureaucratic limbo. The fallout is dire: disrupted defense establishments, paralyzed hospitals, darkened schools, and stalled commercial hubs. Unreliable power doesn’t just inconvenience residents—it jeopardizes national security, derails digital education, and strangles economic growth. Ray’s allegations point to a deeper malaise: an administration more focused on optics than outcomes, leaving Andaman teetering on the edge 

Institutional Theatrics:

The Andaman administration’s response has been a masterclass in institutional theatrics—plans announced with fanfare but left to gather dust. Proposals for power augmentation remain stuck in red tape, while outages grow longer and more frequent. This superficial governance, marked by inaction and empty promises, mirrors the U.S.’s missteps in Guam. Cosmetic measures and ornamental bureaucracy may generate headlines, but they fail to deliver the robust infrastructure needed to support Andaman’s strategic ambitions.

Full Spectrum Administration

To transform Andaman into the geostrategic powerhouse envisioned by the Prime Minister, Lt. Governor D.K. Joshi and New Delhi must adopt a full-spectrum administration approach. This means prioritizing resilient infrastructure—starting with a reliable power grid—alongside military buildup. It requires streamlining bureaucratic processes, fast-tracking critical projects like the 15 MW power augmentation, and investing in sustainable energy solutions to reduce dependence on volatile diesel generators. Coordination between civilian and defense authorities is non-negotiable to ensure seamless operations during crises. China’s growing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific leaves no room for complacency. A weakened Andaman, plagued by power cuts and administrative inertia, is a liability India cannot afford. The islands must be fortified not just with military might but with the infrastructure and governance to sustain it.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands stand at a crossroads. Will they rise as India’s strategic vanguard, or will they falter like Guam, undone by neglect and shortsightedness? Lt. Governor Joshi and New Delhi must act decisively, learning from the U.S.’s mistakes and addressing the power crisis with urgency. Full-spectrum administration is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. The time for theatrics is over and It’s time for decisive action—Joshi must lead, or New Delhi must act.