A sea change

The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project has been the victim of a curious set of circumstances. On the one hand, there was that foolish ASI affidavit which ventured into territory that it had no reason to explore 8212; the historical veracity of the characters of the Ramayana. On the other were political forces in search of a volatile issue. The science versus spirituality debate that ensued put the UPA on the backfoot, and led to the suspension of a project that should have become operationalised by the end of next year, and was expected to expedite the movement of over three thousand vessels plying India8217;s coastal waters.

The UPA8217;s over-cautious response to the kerfuffle was provoked in part by the prospect of a mid-term general election which had appeared imminent at that point in time. Not only did the Government of India ask the Supreme Court for three whole months to get back with its response on the Sethu matter, it also sought a wide range of opinion. Whether this extreme due diligence was required or not, we now have the considered opinion of an expert committee 8212; the status of which has been endorsed by no less an authority than the Supreme Court. After going through much evidence and opinion, the committee has concluded that this important project needs to be resumed and that the structure in question was a geo-morphological feature similar to many others in the world. Its report will now be submitted to the Supreme Court.

This completely unnecessary stoppage in the Sethusamudram project, caused by a totally needless paragraph in the ASI affidavit and a timorous government response, should with some luck soon be lifted 8212; so that a project that could potentially reduce the sailing distance between Chennai and

Tuticorin by 434 nautical miles, create greater connectivity between Indian ports and generate considerable revenue in time, can steam on ahead.