The Central government should speed up the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project for the progress of the country and it was really a welcome move to reject the Pachauri Committee report, said Suba Thangavelan, DMK MLA representing the Thiruvadanai constituency.
The DMK’s pet project, the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project, was launched by the DMK government with the support of the Congress at the Centre. Former Union Minister TR Baalu undertook a Herculean task to implement the project to create a new navigational route across the Palk Bay instead of going around the Island country, Thangavelan said. Both time and money would be saved when ships begin moving through the channel, he added.
Meanwhile, the BJP had opposed the project to save the Rama Sethu, also called Adam’s Bridge. Hindu mythology has it that the bridge was constructed by Lord Rama with the help of his monkey soldiers to reach Lanka.
The dispute was then taken to the Supreme Court and, following its direction, the Centre constituted the Pachauri Committee, headed by Nobel Laureate Rajendra K Pachauri, in 2008 to go into the feasibility of implementing the project.
The Pachauri Committee submitted its report mid-last year.
The Centre, however, rejected the report and submitted an affidavit before the Supreme Court against it.
Devadas, Advisor to Tamil Nadu Fishermen’s Association, said that the Centre’s move would be welcomed by all sections of people, including fishermen. The channel would pave the way for an increase in fish breeding. Therefore, the project should be implemented for the benefit of fishermen and that the local people would get employment opportunities when allied industries would bloom in the dry area, he added.
Muralidharan, National Council Member of the BJP, said that the Centre had tried to cheat the people. The BJP, he said, would not be an impediment for the project but noted that it should be implemented without affecting the Ramar Sethu.
The BJP had protested the Sethusamudram Project from the beginning not only to protect the Ramar Sethu but also to save public money, he added.