The Tamil Nadu government, has, in an affidavit filed on Monday in the Supreme Court, said it supported the report of the Expert Committee on Sethusamudram.
The Expert Committee, headed by environmentalist R K Pachauri, noted that both in ecological as well as economic terms, Alignment 4A did not represent an attractive or even an acceptable option. It was unlikely that public interest would be served by pursuing the project on the basis of Alignment 4A, it said.
Tamil Nadu averred that a detailed study of the report reveals the environmental hazards involved in the project. It further said that it has sent a letter to the Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, indicating that the State government agreed with the report of the Expert Committee and expressed strong objections to the proposed Alignment 4A and to the project also.
In the letter, Tamil Nadu has highlighted some specific issues, the affidavit said. Tamil Nadu said the project was not scrutinised by the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority so far. Coastal Regulation Clearance is required for sand pit cutting for a length of 0.8 km at Dhanushkodi and for the construction of ancillary facilities for construction and operation of the channel, Tamil Nadu government stated.
The affidavit further said that the Chief Minister has also written to the Prime Minister requesting immediate steps to declare the Ram Sethu site as a National Monument without further delay. This, in view of the immeasurable historical, archaeological and heritage value of the structure, it stated.
Ram Sethu passes the tests of authenticity/criteria fixed by UNESCO to nominate the bridge as a world heritage site, the affidavit said. No efforts have been made to conserve the bridge either by the Archaeological Survey of India or by the Government of India, the affidavit added.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday granted another six weeks to the government to apprise it of its stand on the controversial project.