Bridging the gaps

While the government of India wants to build a navigational channel in the area, the Sangh Parivar8217;s claim is that the Adam8217;s Bridge...

While the government of India wants to build a navigational channel in the area, the Sangh Parivar8217;s claim is that the Adam8217;s Bridge or Ramsetu was a bridge built by Lord Rama across the Palk Straits to Lanka as narrated in the Ramayana, and that images released by NASA confirm its presence. What is the current status of this project and will it be allowed to proceed? Jaya Menon explains

8226; What does the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project SCCP envisage?

The ambitious Rs 2,427 crore project hopes to reduce the steaming distances between the east and west coast of India, and to improve the navigation within territorial waters of India. For this, a navigation channel connecting the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay through Adam8217;s Bridge has been envisaged so that ships moving between the east and west coasts of India need not go around Sri Lanka. This will lead to a saving of up to 424 nautical miles 780 Km and up to 30 hours in sailing time, claim SSCP managers. Two channels are to be created. One across Adam8217;s Bridge, 8220;a chain of islets and shallows linking India with Sri Lanka,8217;8217; located south-east of Pamban Island and another through the shallow waters of Palk Bay, deepening the Palk straits. The total length of these two channels would be 89 kms. The total length of the channel is 167 km, 12m deep and 300m wide at bottom.

8226; When was it sanctioned and when did work begin on the project?

Ironically, the SSCP was sanctioned by the erstwhile Vajpayee government. It was a part of the Rs 100,000 crore 8216;Sagar Mala8217; programme initiated by the BJP-led coalition government to provide impetus to 8216;a necklace of projects8217; around the peninsular coastline, in the areas of development of port infrastructure and inland shipping. In July 2005, dredging was officially launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and AICC president Sonia Gandhi off

the Vedaranyam coast near Nagapattinam.

8226; What is the Sangh Parivar8217;s objection to the dredging along the 8216;Ram Setu?8217;

Their demand is that the Ram Setu had to be protected as an ancient monument.

8226; What is the stand of Union Minister T.R. Baalu and the SSCP managers?

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They say that it is only a sedimentary rock formation and there is no scientific evidence for an archaeological structure. Both the Geological Survey of India and the SSCP had conducted studies which only showed the presence of a sedimentary rock formation 8220;comprising of sediments deposited over a period of time which corresponds to past sea-level fluctuations.8217;8217; This can also be proved with the soil and rock samples already taken from the area, they add.

8226; What is status of the project?

The deadline for the project is November 30, 2008, involving a dredging of a total of 82 million cubic metres. So far, 18.4 million cubic metres have been dredged in a 13.4 km stretch off the Vedaranyam coast. With five dredgers operating in the sea off Rameshwaram or Palk Bay from December 2006, the SSCP is dredging about one lakh cubic metres a day. However, dredging is yet to begin in the controversial Adam8217;s Bridge section. The SSCP requires a 8216;Cutter Section8217; dredger for the rocky area. While dredging began in mid-December last year, the driller broke while cutting into the hard section, and work stopped in January. While work resumed again in April, the 8216;Cutter Section8217; dredger cannot be used from May to October during the South West Monsoons.