Members of Parliament questioned Maldives National Defence Force personnel during yesterday’s 241 committee meeting about the agreement between the Indian government and the Maldives to conduct a hydrographic survey in the Maldives. It has been discovered that the Indian government would reap greater advantages than the Maldives.
Important parts of the aforementioned agreement were revealed during one of the 241 committee’s meetings yesterday to establish the extent of the security-related agreements disguised by the administration. Several agreements may result in the archipelago nation’s independence being jeopardized.
We learned that the hydrographic survey agreement was one of the other agreements required to implement the defense action plan and that it was originally an MOU signed by the administration of ex-President Yameen during his visit to India in 2016. Eventually, the deal was signed on June 8, 2019, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Maldives. Signatories include India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay and the Maldives’ Defense Minister Mariya.
According to MNDF, the hydrography survey agreement is vital to the Maldives for a variety of reasons. To begin with, because the sea covers 99.7 percent of the Maldives’ territory, and to calculate the sea area. Second, to build the blue economy and the undersea life. Third, establishing Electronic Navigation Charts and nautical services to ensure the safety of vessels sailing in and out of the Maldives’ territorial seas. Furthermore, this survey would aid in addressing and mitigating marine pollution.
Hydrographic survey agreement includes
- Survey and develop navigation charts in accordance with international standards
- Train locals in the field
- Establish a specialized office in MNDF
- Create harbor and approach maps for the Maldives’ major ports.
India will generate navigation maps using survey data from relevant surveys. The provisions of the agreed-upon agreements would be executed in compliance with local laws and regulations by a joint committee of India and the Maldives. The agreement has a five-year term of validity. However, if none of the nations request that the agreement be terminated six months before its expiration date, it will be automatically renewed.
The main concern of this deal is that India might gain a great deal of money by selling survey data. The Maldives will receive a 35% commission if the survey data is sold in the Maldives, according to the deal. If the necessary data and charts are sold to international parties, Maldives will earn a 25% commission.
It is not disclosed after the survey’s completion, the Indian government’s right to finalise the selling price of the charts and exploit the resources on the seabed. Hydrography surveys will be conducted in regions authorized by the Maldives government. According to MNDF, this is not the first agreement about a hydrography survey. Previously, we had an agreement between the United Kingdom and the Maldives. Until now, we have relied on British Admiralty navigation charts across the Maldives.
