Gessler provided the following excellent comments and links on February 26, 2024.
[INS Dweeprakshak (a “concrete ship”) was commissioned on Kavarattiisland,
in the center of India’s Lakshadweep Islands in 2012. This was to provide support facilities
for naval vessels based on the islands, as well as to enhance surveillance
capabilities (eg. using radar) over shipping lanes.]
See Kavaratti (in the center) and Minicoy (in the south) islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago (Map courtesy researchgate)
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Naval bases are also being developed in the southernmost islands of India's
Lakshadweep archipelago. That includes INS Jatayu naval base, on Minicoy Island, to be commissioned in 2 days time on March 6, 2024.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-to-build-naval-bases-in-agatti-and-minicoy-islands-101707884042309.html
The extent of these bases, in
terms of infrastructure and facilities, is still unclear. We also don't know how much land reclamation is necessary to build everything. Regardless, bases here are significant for two reasons:
1) These islands serve as a pseudo-chokepoint
considering they sit on either side of the Nine-Degree Channel, the main trade
route for ships going between the Middle East and East Asia (map below
illustrates this).
SLoC map hosted at imgbb - see https://ibb.co/ckMh4MS
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2) The Lakshadweep archipelago sits on the same Chagos-Laccadive Ridge as the Maldives archipelago. The Indian-administered island of Minicoy mentioned above is only about 150 kms from the nearest Maldivian atoll, and only about 450 kms from the Maldivian capital city of Male.
It's possible that the development of these bases is meant to put pressure on the new anti-India/pro-China Maldivian Government. Chinese intelligence-gathering ships have recently called at Maldivian ports, and I'd imagine Delhi is understandably concerned.
What's worrying is that Chinese intelligence penetration of the Maldivian bureaucracy is real (one could describe President Muizzu and his "India Out" campaign as a part of that). It must be remembered that Maldives is a very small country with a very small population. It doesn't take much for someone aligned with the CCP to seize control under false pretexts. [China may incite violence] when and if Chinese attempts at seizing control through mostly non-violent means do not give them the results they want. History shows that a rag-tag group of 80 mercenaries is all that it takes to effectively bring the Maldive's government to it's knees:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Maldives_coup_attempt
One must consider the Maldives close proximity to India and it is not far from the US' key air and naval base at Diego Garcia. The Chinese having a regular port of call at the Maldives for year-round intelligence operations in the region probably doesn't help the Americans either. The government in Delhi may be well served wanting to prepare for any eventuality that might arise out of the Maldives.
Pete Comment
Indian base building on the Lakshadweep Islands reduces the chances that Pakistan based military/terrorists might use these islands as a springboard onto the Indian mainland (recalling the 2008 Mumbai attacks). Indian base building also reduces the chances Pakistan and China might close the Nine-Degree Channel "SLoC Block" or disrupt Indian naval activities generally.