<b>Centre set to go slow on Sethu project</b>
Nidhi Sharma | New Delhi (Pioneer, 16 Jan. 2008)
Ahead of the crucial Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday, the UPA Government seems to have decided to go slow on Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP). In the first indication that it is not ready to take a direct political call as yet, the Government has relieved some dredgers hired for the project despite knowing that there is an international waiting time of at least a year to acquire them again.
The Supreme Court stay on dredging activity around Adam's Bridge area had turned these dredgers idle. According to well-placed sources in the Shipping Ministry, the Government had been incurring heavy expenditure towards renting and docking them. Sources said that internally the Government has decided to seek more time from the Supreme Court to study the report of an expert panel, formed after the apex court's directives to hear objections on the projects. After this indication, the dredgers have been let go.
The project cannot be made operational till dredging is completed. As per Sethusamudram Corporation Ltd records, only 2,77,87,772 cubic metre out of 8,25,50,000 cubic metre of the canal -- 33.67% of the canal -- had been dredged till October 2007. The official said: "It is a tall task to achieve the target now."
By relieving the dredgers and seeking more time from the Supreme Court, the Government has almost sent an indication that it would postpone the matter for some time till it has taken a political call on it.
A senior official said: "Dredgers are not simple machines that are available in India readily. These are complex equipment that are hired from international firms. For each dredger, the Government has to pay lakhs of rupees. After the Supreme Court stay on dredging activity around Adam's Bridge some dredgers were lying idle and we decided to relieve them." Sources said that the dredgers have to be booked at least a year in advance.
The official said: "Internationally, canals and seas are being dredged for better navigation, so there is a long queue for these machineries. So we have to book in advance. These are too expensive to be bought and are always hired. We have no other option but to relieve them now and continue dredging work on other parts of the project."
If the matter is adjourned on Wednesday allowing the Government to study the report, the stay on dredging around Adam's bridge area would remain and the dredging activity would not be resumed. The project envisages linking the Palk Strait with Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka through a canal. At present, Palk Strait is shallow and this prevents large vessels from navigating through it. SSCP will dredge the sea bottom along India and Sri Lanka's maritime boundary to a depth of 12 metres to enable larger ships to go through the Palk Strait.
The project is fast becoming a political hot potato for the UPA. The Government is not only facing a problem from the Opposition but also from within the alliance. The DMK has been pressurising the Congress-led coalition to implement the project because of the former's known hard stance on the issue. The project directly affects DMK's political fortune as AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa is inching towards a new alliance with BJP in Tamil Nadu.
http://dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_...t&counter_img=3
Trace Ram's footsteps on Lanka's Ramayan trail
Ekatmata Sharma | New Delhi
We couldn't have had a better justification for keeping the Ram Setu intact at a better time. Sri Lanka Tourism is now aggressively selling the Ramayan trail, worked mostly around events of the Lankakand in the epic, to attract thousands of pilgrims and believers from India.
And though tourism officials may have consulted experts, scholars and archaeologists to work out 50 top sites for Indians, they flew in cricket icons Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravind de Silva for their sales pitch in Delhi. "Most of my Indian friends like Sachin Tendulkar have had a wonderful time in my country. Indians relate to Lanka because of linkages with Ramayan and their belief in Ram in particular. I too believe in Ramayan and our sites reveal the epic's different episodes," said De Silva.
If the cricketers were the poster boys, there was Swami Sarvarupa, head of Ramakrishna Mission, Sri Lanka, to put a stamp of gravitas on the resurrection of Ram's trail and by extension, the raison-d-etre for its existence: the bridge over the ocean. "We see and believe whatever we have read in Ramayan. The stones used in the bridge, the Sita Ganga river, Ravan's palace, Hanuman's landing spot and other evidence, all point to the descriptions in Ramayan. It's all about spirituality and faith in the epic," he said.
It bears mention that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist-majority country and neither the political nor the religious elite there has any interest in perpetuating the historicity or cultural legacy of Ram. Still they have left the sites associated with Ram untouched. In fact, the Ramayan trail is being rediscovered in areas where 90 per cent of the residents are Sinhalese Buddhists. "Ramayan is a special feature of the bond that we have with India. This circuit aims to offer opportunities to our friends in India to visit, explore, absorb and enjoy places of epic significance. We at Sri Lanka Tourism believe that Ramayan has brought us together through the exploration of its backdrop, which begins with Ayodhya in India and climaxes at Lankapura or Sri Lanka. We want Indians to participate in the Lankan leg of the epic. A massive restoration and maintenance drive is on at these religious sites," said S Kalaiselvam, director-general of Sri Lanka Tourism.
"There are still many caves like Katirgama and the black mountain that have to be identified. This requires good researchers and spiritual scholars but we will not stop our journey of rediscovering the Ramayana," he added.
"People living in and around the historical areas are the most reliable sources of information about the Ramayan in Sri Lanka. They have heard and believed in these stories through generations," said Kalaiselvam.
According to Ramayan, Ravana brought Sita to Sri Lanka by a vehicle called Pushpaka Vimanam by the Hindus and Dandu Monara Yanthraya by the Sinhalese Buddhists. This vehicle is said to have landed at Werangatota, about 10 km from Mahiyangana, east of the hill station of Nuwara Eliya, in central Sri Lanka. In the north-central region of Sri Lanka are Ramboda, Pussellawa, Kondakale and Mankkettather -- towns over which Ravana's air chariot flew with Sita. Interestingly, a clear path runs through the densely forested areas there even today, marking Ravana's trail. There is even a small pond, in the shape of an eye, where the tears of Sita fell. Surprisingly, this pond never dries though others around it do.
Sita was taken to Goorulupota, now known as Sitakotuwa, where Ravana's wife, Mandodari, lived. Sitakotuwa is about 10 km from Mahiyangana on the road to Kandy.
Sita was housed in a cave at Sita Eliya, on the Colombo-Nuwara Eliya road. There is a temple for her there. She is believed to have bathed in the mountain stream flowing beside the temple. Ashok Vatika, where Sita was kept captive and which was later destroyed by Hanumana, is now in ruins but there is a temple with ancient statues that seem to depict images from the epic. Hakgala is the exotic pleasure garden where Ravana insisted Sita should marry him. It was here that Hanumana brought her Rama's ring. Part of the garden still exits.
In Colombo stands Kotte, one of the many places to which Ravana took Sita to confuse Rama. Located in the suburb of Colombo is the Anjaneyar temple dedicated to Hanumana.
The ancient airports -- Ussangoda, Wariyapola and Kurunegala -- are where the magical flying chariots landed and took off.
North of Nuwara Eliya, in Matale district, is Yudhaganapitiya, where the Rama-Ravana battle took place. The destination is now a wildlife sanctuary but not cultivable. Locals believe it's the curse of the soldiers who fell there during the war. A tunnel network leading to palaces and battle fields was created by Ravana, who was an expert in underground transport system. Locals claim some of these tunnels still exist in parts of Sri Lanka.
According to a Sinhalese legend, Dunuwila is the place from where Rama shot the Bramhashira arrow that killed Ravana. The Sri Lankan king was chalking out his battle plans in a place called Lakgala when the killer arrow struck him. Lakgala is a rock from the top of which Ravana could see north Sri Lanka clearly. It served as a watch tower following the expectation that Rama would invade the island to rescue his consort.
Since Ravana was a Brahmin, it was considered a sin to kill him, even in battle. To wash off the sin, Rama performed puja at the Munneswaram temple at Chilaw, 80 km north of Colombo. Legend has it that the Koneswaram temple, in the eastern district of Trincomalee, was gifted by Lord Shiva to Ravana, as he was an ardent devotee.
Yahangala, meaning rock bed, is believed to be the site where Ravana's body was laid to rest for his country men to pay their last respect.
According to another legend from the southern part of Sri Lanka, Sita was actually detained in the mountainous forest area of Rumassala near Galle. When she fell ill, Hanumana wanted to bring some medicinal plants from the Himalayas to cure her. Since he could not find the plants, he brought the whole mountain and dropped it at Unawatuna, which is near the present Galle harbour. Unawatuna means "here it fell." Indeed, the area is known for its medicinal plants.
In the famous Buddha Vihara at Kelani, near Colombo, there is a representation of Rama handing over captured Sri Lanka to Ravana's brother, Vibheeshana, who sided with him in his conflict with Ravana.
Diwaurumpola is the place where Sita performed her Agni Pariksha (fire test) to return to Rama. Continuing the practice, the villagers there still pledge their fidelity by walking over burning coals.
http://www.timesnow.tv/Newsdtls.aspx?NewsID=5520
<b>Sethu is not man-made: Cabinet note</b>
1/18/2008 12:15:09 PM
The Government is closely looking at a proposal to go ahead with the controversial Sethusamudran project, after all the ministries involved in assessing the project gave their go- ahead saying the Ram Sethu is a natural structure and not man-made. A Cabinet note in available to TIMES NOW says that the Ram Sethu was not made by any mythological person.
Significantly, the Cabinet note differs with the expert committe set up to look into the entire matter on one crucial point - The committee had said that archaelogists should be involved in the crucial dredging process, but the Cabinet note rejects this view.
The draft note to the Cabinet prepared by the Ministry of Shipping Road Transport and Highways Department - reviews the recommendations given by the Government-appointed 10-member committee of experts, as well as those given by the Ministry of Culture. It is the Ministry of Culture that had in particular said that no archaeologists would be required during the dredging process.
News of the Cabinet note comes two days after the Supreme Court gave the Government two more weeks to file the affidavit in the case.
Here are some of the crucial excerpts from this document that TIMES NOW has exclusive access to:
1. The note while defining the Ram Setu very clearly says: "It is a clear-cut natural stratigraphic of cyclic sedimentation process and not a manmade feature."
2. The note goes on to say - "There is no merit in the demand of the petitioners that the Rama Sethu should be declared as a national monument and should be brought on the World Heritage List."
3. The draft note goes on to observe that the Ministry of Culture was of the view that it may not be desirable to associate archaelogists with the project.
Lending perspective to the development, TIMES NOW's Senior Editor Srinjoy Chowdhury says in 90% of cases a note that succeeds in reaching the Cabinet is immediately cleared and that the same can be expected of this particular reccomendation.
"All ministries concerned particularly the Shipping Ministry has made it very clear that Rama Sethu is a natural bridge and there is no reason why the Sethu cannot go ahead. The minustry also swept aside the point of involving archaeologists, saying could be hoped to be gained from any excavation. This point has been put forward more strongly by the ministry than even the Expert Committee or the Culture Ministry," observed Chowdhury.
However the Cabinet note's contents will not go down well with the critics of the Sethusamudram project - chiefly the BJP and the Sangh Pariwar who hold that 'Adam's Bridge' as it has been traditionally known in the West, is actually 'Rama Sethu' - constructed by the Hindu god Rama and with links to the epic 'Ramayana'.
"Besides the project's political opponents, there are others like environmentalists who think the project is not necessary or beneficial and even harmful - they can also be expected to react strongly to the note," Chowdhury added.
http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=5518
<b>UPA scores another self-goal on Ram Sethu, panel quotes German scholars that Ramayana a âfairy tale, no factâ</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sources, however, said Culture Minister Ambika Soni is unwilling to accept the report and this sense is shared among senior Congress ministers as the contents will only ignite another controversy.
Further, the committee, while concluding that the structure in question was a natural formation and not man-made, concedes that âno archaeological studyâ has been conducted to verify the same. This has only complicated matters with the Culture Ministry being extra cautious now and pointing out that a sensitive issue of this nature cannot be brushed aside without a proper study.
.......................
The consensus, therefore, in the Congress leadership is to first carry out a detailed archaeological and geological study of the structure before arriving at any conclusion. The committee, sources said, focuses largely on rebutting the petitions from various quarters that argue in favour of the structure being the Ram Sethu as described in Ramayana<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
why these fools are making circle?
<b>Sethu project viable, but not for big ships: Naval Chief</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"It is a viable project. But, on completion, it will be useful only for small ships and not to those navigating on international routes," Mehta told the media on the sidelines of a meeting in Chennai Monday night.
When asked to elaborate, the Admiral said, "This is Tamil Nadu. And it is a sensitive issue," and declined to elaborate.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Tamil Nadu govt to Centre: Do not stall Setu project</b>
23 Jan 2008, 1400 hrs IST,PTI
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday requested the Centre not to "go back" on the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project by paying heed to the "untenable" arguments raised by some people for "political gains".
In his customary address to the state assembly, Governor S S Barnala said the project, a long-pending dream of the people of Tamil Nadu, had been studied since 1860 during the British rule and found feasible by engineering stalwarts.
It was also "considered desirable" by scholars and eminent personalities, he said.
The dredging work at Ram Sethu area had been stayed by Supreme Court on a batch of writ petitions seeking to stop demolition of the mythological bridge believed to have been constructed by Lord Ram to cross over to Lanka.
Barnala said the project has potential to contribute to the strength and development of India by expanding international and maritime trade.
"This government urges the union government not to go back on its endeavour to transform the future of people of Tamil Nadu to one of progress and prosperity and to continue with implementation of this unique and constructive project,"
he said.
The Centre should not "pay heed to the untenable and contradictory arguments now raised by a few for political gains," he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Do_not_...how/2724723.cms
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<b>Stung on Setu, Cong to tread with caution</b>
23 Jan 2008, 0204 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: With BJP eagerly waiting to pounce on the government stand on Ram Setu, the Congress leadership has advised extreme caution on the affidavit that the Centre plans to file in the Supreme Court on the contentious issue.
The Congress core group on Tuesday felt that top party and government heads should meet once before the deadline for filing of affidavit on January 27.
The party wants to handle the sensitive issue with care, lest it is pounced upon by BJP and Sangh Parivar to paint the Congress-led government as "anti-Hindu". Having been caught off-guard in the first affidavit, where Centre had called into question the existence of Lord Ram and triggered a massive controversy, the party is keen to ensure that the gaffe is not repeated.
In view of the defeats in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and upcoming Karnataka polls, where BJP has a history of playing the Hindutva card, Congress is careful not to provide fresh fodder to the opposition party. The party has finally begun to address issues pertaining to states.
Sources said the core group discussed the issue of Telangana, which has led to a serious tug-of-war within the party and outside. The leadership, it is learnt, has formed an informal group of the chief minister, PCC president and general secretary in charge to formulate the party stand on statehood for Telangana.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/S...how/2722685.cms
<span style='color:red'>With an eye on North, Centre to dump Sethu project</span>
Thursday January 24 2008 00:56 IST
K N Arun
CHENNAI: The Congress has all but decided to put the skids on the Sethusamudram project. Not because it has lost faith in the project, but because it is concerned about the political fall-out and the possible impact on the electorate in the north India in the next Lok Sabha elections.
According to informed sources, the Congress leadership would rather put the project on the back burner than risk further hurting the Hindu religious sentiments.
In fact, highly placed DMK sources said a senior Congress minister had even gone to the extent of telling his DMK colleagues in the Union Cabinet that the Congress could not afford to put its chances in half the country at risk for the sake of one state (Tamil Nadu).
The apprehension of damage to Ramar Sethu â believed to have been built by Lord Rama's vanar sena â during dredging in the present alignment had sparked protests from various Hindu groups, and is even a matter of litigation before the Supreme Court.
The controversy heightened when the Centre in a counter affidavit in the Supreme Court had questioned the historicity of Lord Rama, though the affidavit was later withdrawn.
Now, the government has sought more time to file the counter affidavit, despite the fact that the report of an expert committee to go into the nature of Ramar Sethu, on which the affidavit was to have been based, has already submitted the report.
According to sources, the committee has concluded that there is no evidence that Ramar Sethu is man made. But DMK sources say that Congress leaders are apprehensive about the impact of such categorical assertion on the Hindu voters.
It is probably a reflection of this that TN Governor S S Barnala, in his customary address to the Assembly on Wednesday, barely touched upon the Sethusamudram project. He urged the Centre âto continue the implementation of this unique and constructive project, without paying heed to the untenable and contradictory arguments now raised by a few for political gains.â
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?I...hennai&Topic=0&
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Jan 22 2008, 09:39 PM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Jan 22 2008, 09:39 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>Sethu project viable, but not for big ships: Naval Chief</b><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"It is a viable project. But, on completion, it will be useful only for small ships and not to those navigating on international routes," Mehta told the media on the sidelines of a meeting in Chennai Monday night.
When asked to elaborate, the Admiral said, "This is Tamil Nadu. And it is a sensitive issue," and declined to elaborate.
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Setu: TR Baalu as de facto Defence Minister?
This Baalu seems to say and do anything to prove his point. The audacity of this guy to challenge Naval Admiral on nautical matters. He's trashed economists on Setu pertaining economics! Spiritual acharayas and Gurus on religious matters! Environment experts! Historians! The list is just endless.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->If Lord Rama's credentials as an engineer can be questioned by
Dravidian leaders with impunity, then the common people of India would
like to put these questions to T R Baalu taking note of his recent
letter to A K Antony, Union Defence Minister:
1)Are you a Naval Engineer?
2) Where did you take your Naval Engineering Degree from? Did you
study in an Engineering College in India or abroad? Did you ever
enroll in any Naval or Military Academy in India or abroad?
3) Are you the Defence Minister of India?
4) Are we right in 'imagining' that A K Antony and not T R Baalu is
the duly appointed Defence Minister of India?
5) Who gave you plenipotentiary powers to question the Constitutional
authority of the Chief of Naval Staff to give his unfettered technical
opinion on naval matters?
These questions have become very relevant because in a recent letter
to Antony, Baalu has questioned the constitutional right of Admiral
Sureesh Mehta PVSM, AVSM, ADC Chief of Naval Staff to express his
technical opinion on the practical usability and utility of the
controversial SSCP Canal from the point of view of the Indian Navy.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->By Fax
To,   Â
Tmt. Girija Vaidiyanathan, I.A.S.,
Chairperson, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board,
76 Anna Salai, Guindy,
Chennai- 600032
Dear Madam,
Subject: Concerns regarding the Rapid Environment Impact Assessment report prepared by NEERI on the environmental impacts of the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project (SSCP)
We are environmental researchers working on issues related to marine conservation and coastal development along the Indian coastline. We are of the opinion that the Central Governmentâs proposed Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project will have serious impacts on the biodiversity and the livelihoods of fisherfolk of the East Coast of India and the Gulf of Mannar region. Bearing this in mind and our concern for the Indian coastline, we would like to bring to your urgent attention our objections to the Rapid Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Report prepared by NEERI.
We would like to place on record that the EIA Notification, dated 4th January 1994, states the following:Â
Point 4: Concealing factual data or submission of false, misleading data/reports, decisions or recommendations would lead to the project being rejected. Approval, if granted earlier on the basis of false data, would also be revoked. Misleading and wrong information will cover the following:
False information
False data,
Engineered reports,
Concealing of factual data,
False recommendations or decisions
We would like to state at the outset that our basic contention is that the Rapid EIA report prepared by NEERI is completely inadequate, does not provide critical data on impacts of the SSCP, contains false information, conceals factual data, is an engineered report and provides false recommendations. Above all this Rapid EIA report appears to have only one objective - to understate and conceal the true environmental impacts of the SSCP.
Our objections to the project is based on the fact that a falsified incomplete and inadequate document has been palmed off to the citizens of this country to push through a mock process of public hearing where the public has been given no information regarding it. We substantiate:
1. Environmental Impact Assessment or Promotional document? Unethical elements in the document
Our objections are illustrated in the entire tone of the EIA report itself. Both the EIA and the Executive Summary begin and continue expounding incredible merits of the project in blatantly promotional fashion. The EIA is meant to be an objective report giving facts and explanations regarding the impacts of a proposed project. It is not meant to be a document to justify the environmental impacts of a project but to explicate the same in an impassive and objective manner.
The EIA prepared by NEERI however is replete with sloganeering and jingoism. Some examples are quoted below:
Chapter1 Page1: âIt is unfortunate that despite having such a coastline, India does not have within her territorial waters, a continuous navigable sea route...â
Chapter1 Page 2: âThe proposed canal on commissioning is expected to join the ranks of the sea-canals like Suez an Panama and usher in bright future, plenty of prosperity and industrial growth in the India hinterland lying along the proposed ship canal...There are many other benefits which are difficult to quantify such as (a) surge in the development of coastal trade, (b) development of industries in Ramanathapuram, Pasumpom Muthu Ramalingam and Tuticorin districts, © amelioration of distress due to droughts visiting annually Ramanathappuram and Pasumpon district which are the most backward districts in the Tamil Nadu State â
Section 1.2 on Earlier Studies which provides a historical overview of the âdreamâ SSCP was uncalled for in a document that is meant to assess the manner in which this project is going to impact the environment.
The inherent propaganda evident in these statements reveals that this is not an objective document and much less an EIA.
2. False information: Only a Rapid EIA not a comprehensive EIA
Section 1.5.1 of the report states that âthe objectives of the EIA study is to carry out rapid and comprehensive assessments for delineating environmental management plan for Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project to enable the Ministry of Shipping to obtain environmental clearances from concerned local, state and central Government authoritiesâ.
How an EIA study for an area like the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay region can be both rapid and comprehensive at the same time is unimaginable! This aside, the report is essentially a Rapid Assessment Report and not a comprehensive EIA Report. The report itself mentions that the comprehensive EIA report will be prepared later based on the primary data collection for the region.
The EIA notification does not state that a rapid EIA will suffice. It explicitly states in Point 2.I (A) that any person who desires to undertake any new project in any part of India or the expansion or modernization of any existing industry or project listed in the Schedule-I shall submit an application â¦the application shall be made in the proforma specified in Schedule-II of this notification and shall be accompanied by a project report which shall, inter alia, include an Environmental Impact Assessment Report, an Environment Management Plan and details of public hearing as specified in Schedule-IV
Thus it is amply clear that the MoEF requires a complete EIA and not a Rapid EIA.
Schedule IV of the notification related to procedure for public hearing also states that whoever applies for a project should submit an execute e summary along with an Environment Impact Assessment Report. It does not state that a Rapid EIA will suffice for the public hearing.
A public hearing cannot be conducted on the basis of a Rapid EIA. It is clear that the project proponents in this case have sought to only provide a makeshift document to primarily overcome the âhurdleâ of environmental clearances. This is unacceptable. Therefore the Rapid EIA in question cannot be used and need not be viewed by the public as a serious document for impact assessment. As far as the general public is concerned, no EIA has been provided to the public, only a Rapid EIA was provided, which is totally inadequate to assess the impacts of the project.
The report by NEERI does not state that it is a rapid EIA on its cover page. It is only as the reader explores the document further that one realizes that the document is only a Rapid EIA without information from more than one seasonâs data, particularly the monsoon season. Many of the sources of data on the biodiversity of the region are outdated and cannot be sued for a project of this magnitude and with its attendant impacts.
3. Instances of inadequate information in the report
1. Overall, we find that the Rapid EIA maintains a deafening silence when it comes to justifying or giving an explanation for about details and statistics regarding impacts â something that the document is mandated to do in the first place.
2. While mentioning that there is going to be a spurt in the shipping traffic in the region, the report does not state anywhere what will be the impacts of a single oil spill in the region. A report prepared for the Directorate General of Shipping, on the Development of Coastal shipping and Minor Ports by the Tata Consultancy Services mentions that the highest percentage of cargo that passes between the East and the West Coast are Coal, Crude Oil and POL products and cement. The impacts of a breaching of a vessel carrying any of these goods have not been studied or even mentioned in the EIA. Whereas the EIA goes on to expound about the benefits of coastal shipping without taking into consideration the impacts of increased coastal shipping in this region.
3. The EIA mentions that there will be attendant development all along the coast in the form of industries, workshops, minor ports etc, but nowhere is there a mention of the cumulative impacts of these on the environment of the Gulf of Mannar
4. The EIA report completely undermines the marine biodiversity of the region. It has failed to record the impacts on the dugongs for example. Without conducting primary studies in there region, it mentions that all corals along the alignment at dead corals. It also provides false information stating that the endangered dugongs and dolphins are only confined to the Gulf of Mannar National Park! This is not only false data, but also a ridiculous statement. The UNEP report titled âDugong, Status Report and Action Plan for Countries and Territoriesâ states that dugongs have been noted even in deep waters between India and Sri Lanka. The Marine Protected Area in the South Asian Seas Volume 2: India Needs Region states the following about the dugongs of the region:
The extensive seagrass beds around Musal Island off Mandapam Camp and around Appa and Balayamunai Islands, off Kilakarai are the main grazing grounds (Jones, 1967; Silas & Fernando, 1985) where large herds used to occur. Catches were higher in Palk Bay between Devipattanam and Pamban on Rameswaram Island than in the Gulf of Mannar between Musal and Appa Islands and the mainland. There maybe coast to coast migration between India and Sri Lanka through Palk Bay which is shallow while migrations across the deeper Gulf of Mannar may take place around the coast (Jones, 1976).
5. The Rapid EIA mentions that the navigational route is to be 20 kilometers away from the Shingle Island. The EIA also mentions that the route will only be 6 kilometres away from the Van Tivu Island which is also part of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. This will be a violation of the MoEFâs circulars that state that there is to be a buffer zone of 25 kilometres around all National Parks and Sanctuaries.
6. The EIA also does not give any data or details regarding impacts on the flow of currents once the barrier at Adamâs bridge is dredged. The current flow will have impacts on sedimentation in the Gulf of Mannar and also on the coral reef areas in the region. This is despite common knowledge that sedimentation is damaging to areasÂ
7. The Muthupet and the Vedaranyam areas are sensitive areas which run parallel to the canal alignment. There are no details in the EIA about the impacts of oil spills on the coastal areas. This is significant especially when one notes that there is absolutely no oil spill modeling keeping in mind a worst case scenario.
8. The document most shoddily mentions that exotic species from the Bay of Bengal region can enter the Palk ay and vice versa. But it does not state what the impacts of such invasion of exotic species would be. In which case one wonder what impact has been assessed!
9. There is no mention of a disaster mitigation plan anywhere in this report, clearly meaning that the report seeks to conceal the fact that there can at all be any disaster in a busy shipping route carrying POL, crude, coal, naphta and other such cargo!
10. The 51 million cubic metres of dredge spoil is proposed to be dumped in an area frequently referred to as a wasteland â the site is a well known proposed bird sanctuary! There is a proposal lying with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department for the declaration of the area as a Wild Life Sanctuary. The report predictably ignores this.
11. While the report faithfully makes passing mention of the impacts of construction activity and dredging etc on the traditional fisherfolk, including their displacement, it sheds no light on any compensation amply exposing the projectâs commitment to safeguard the livelihoods of the fishing communities.
4. Invalidity of the public hearing process
We would like to state that a Rapid EIA report is inadequate to assess the damage that may occur to an area of national and global significance such as the Gulf of Mannar. We are also of the opinion that no project such as the SSCP should take place along the Adamâs bridge due to the sensitivity of the entire region. We therefore do not demand a fresh EIA but state that a project of this nature should not take place in this region and at any rate cannot rely on a document such as the Rapid EIA report prepared by NEERI.
From all of the above, we therefore contend that the commissioning and preparation of the Rapid EIA by NEERI, the distribution of the document to the public and the conducting of public hearings based on this incomplete and false EIA, is illegal and criminal.
We also state that the associated process of the public hearing (which we have pointed in another letter addressed to your office as being characterized by violence and intimidation by political thugs) is also null and void.Â
Sincerely,
Aarthi Sridhar, Research Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, and Mahalakshmi Parthasarathy, Environmental Researcher
Bangalore Karnataka, India
CC. For information
The Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Paryavaran Bhavan, C. G. 0. Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi- 110 003
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa to approach the Centre for her demand that the Sethusamudram canal project be declared a national heritage monument.
A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Tarun Chatterjee and R V Raveendran told the AIADMK chiefâs lawyer that it was not the courtâs task to decide whether a structure is national heritage or not.
The court tagged Jayalalithaaâs petition with other pleas appealing for a stay on the canalâs construction.
Jayalalithaa had appealed the court to ask the Sethusamudram Corporation to take an alternative route for completing the project without demolishing the Ram Setu, a mythical bridge believers say was built by Lord Ram.
The Supreme Court has already directed authorities not to damage the Setu while continuing with the dredging activity.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/contact-centre.../57532-3-1.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->New Delhi: There is a new twist to the Ram Setu controversy. The Coast Guards Director General has told CNN-IBN that the Sethusamudram project poses security threat to India.
Vice Admiral Contractor was echoing remarks similar to those made by the Navy Chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, recently.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has granted the Centre four weeks to make its stand clear on the issue.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices R V Raveendran and J M Panchal gave the Centre the time limit after Additional Solicitor General R Mohan sought extension for filing an affidavit.
The apex court directed the Government to file two separate affidavits, one on the alignment of the project and other giving details of the studies that have been undertaken to ascertain whether Ram Setu is an ancient monument.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/ram-setu-proje...7802-3.html?xml
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Above - the set of affidavits that SC asked the Govt to file is a dangerous development. Why is it required to be "an ancient monument" to be considered an article of faith and "heritage"? The question is: "whether the Rama Setu is an ancient object of reverence?"
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Sethu project is a security threat: Coast Guard DG </b>
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
Adding fuel to the Ram Setu controversy, Director-General of Indian Coast Guard has cautioned that the Sethusamudram project poses a national security hazard and also conveyed his concern over the project to the Government.Â
<b>"We have already mounted a strong vigil on the country's southern coastal waters. Projects like the Sethusamudram could bring in more security problems," said Coast Guard chief Vice Admiral RF Contractor. </b>
The candid admission by the DG came on the sidelines of a media interaction on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of ICG. However, he added that security measures would be put in place once the channel becomes operational.
<b>His view follows the comment made by Naval Chief Vice-Admiral Sureesh Mehta who said the project could hamper the movement of bigger vessels, including those employed by the Indian Navy. </b>
When asked whether the Coast Guard had conveyed its concerns to the Government, Contractor said that both the Navy and Coast Guard were asked to give their views prior to the project being cleared.
<b>Contractor hinted at the close proximity of India-Sri Lanka maritime border as the cause of worry. The Coast Guard had mounted a round-the-clock aerial and sea vigil in the Palk Bay as well as Gulf of Mannar to guard against infiltration of Sri Lankan armed militants into India. Though the number of Tamil migrants from Sri Lanka had dropped this year, after almost touching a high of 16,619 last year, </b>"security centres are active in all places where antecedents of refugees coming from Sri Lanka are being checked," he added.
The statement by the DG gave a good handle to the leading Opposition party BJP that decried the Government's attempts to override such a serious concern. On Thursday, the BJP upped the ante against the Government on the viability of the project. "We are not against the Sethusamudram project. But if the senior-most official of the Coast Guard is talking about security concerns, it is a big thing," said BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Speaking to reporters, Prasad hoped the concerns of the Coast Guard would be reflected in the affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court.
The VHP has also reacted to the security concerns raised by the Coast Guard and said no one should be allowed to play with the national security.
"As, experts of different fields have already expressed concerns over the project, the Government should file an affidavit immediately before the Supreme Court to save Ram Setu," said Vinod Bansal, media chief of the Rameswaram Ram Setu Raksha Manch, Delhi.
Pointing out that the Navy Chief and Coast Guard chief are the two final authorities, entrusted with the task of national security, <b>Bansal said the Government should scrap the project to ensure safety and security of the region and save the tax payer's money</b>.
The Centre, meanwhile, seems tied up with political compulsions from within and outside to give a response to the Supreme Court, which is hearing a batch of petitions relating to the continuation of the project. Already the Supreme Court has stayed dredging activities in or around Ram Setu.
Appearing before a Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) R Mohan informed the Court on Thursday that the Centre is yet to finalise the affidavit to be filed in relation to the matter. On January 16, the Court directed the Centre to file its affidavit within two weeks following which hearing in the matter was to take place.
The Bench comprising of Justices RV Raveendran and JM Panchal allowed four weeks time to the Centre posting the matter in the first week of March. Janata Party president Subramanium Swamy, who has filed two petitions challenging the Government's decision to destroy the natural bridge, urged the Court to direct the Centre to file separate affidavits on the aspects of alignment of the project and on the investigations conducted by the Government to determine the historicity of the Ram Setu.
The Government had incurred a loss of face following its affidavit filed in Apex Court in September 2007. In its bid to rubbish the petitioner's claims of declaring Ram Setu an ancient monument, the Government declared that the mythological text of Ramayan could not be considered a "historical record" for lack of any scientific study or proof. It thus refuted the "existence or the occurrence of events depicted therein".
Courting controversy for its alleged denial of Lord Ram, the Centre withdrew the Ministry of Culture's affidavit from court promising to file a better one after conducting a detailed study of the objections raised by the petitioners. An expert committee constituted for this purpose submitted its report to the Government, which is to finalise its response to be given to Court.
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<b>The truth about Sethu Samudram </b>
M V kamath | Wed, 19 Dec, 2007 , 03:12 PM
The truth about Sethu Samudram Writing in Frontline (15 October), one Mr D Ramachandran reveals some extremely important facts that merit attention. In the first place, he states that the Ram Sethu 'is a discontinuous chain of sandbars dotting a 30 km stretch in the East-West direction between the Palk Day and the Gulf of Mannar'.
Then he makes the point that palcogegraphic studies suggest that the sea level in the region has oscillated significantly over historical times, exposing the seabed between India and Sri Lanka periodically.
According to him 'around 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, the sea level was just 17 meters below the present level, resulting in partial exposure of the seabed. The Marino and Water Resources Group of SAC/ISRO concluded after space-based investigations that the so-called Adam's Bridge - or Ram Sethu - is not man-made but comprises 103 small patch reefs lying in a linear pattern with roof crest (flattened, emergent, especially during low tides) and intermittent deep channels.
The MWRG interpreted the linearity of the Sethu to be due to the old share line - implying that the two land masses of India and Sri Lanka were once connected. What can we deduce from these admissions? One, that a long time ago, India and Sri Lanka were indeed linked by a wall of coral in one continual stretch. Two, there were times when that wall was broken at intervals by violent seawaves, but not to the extent of making repairs difficult.
From this we can deduce that if someone were to fill these intermittent minor channels with sand and stones, it would still be possible to acquire a continuous link between India and Sri Lanka, practically a roadway - call it a 'bridge' for all one cares - that would enable a vanar sena to cross over from India to Sri Lanka effortlessly, even in single file Ergo, what a Vanar Sena merely had to do was to fill in the intermittent sea channels with stones to make a transportable way from the Indian sub-continent to the Sri Lanka island, requiring no major feat.
That would mean that some Vanar Sena did build a 'bridge', using Nature as a base. If we admit to this rational explanation, one can accept both propositions. One, that a link of sorts was already in existence when the Vanar Sena came to think of it and two, that the Sena did indeed help build a bridge, by filling in broken gaps in the carol roof with capacious stones and sand.
Granting that the entire connection was not man-made and that a discontinuing physical link was already in existence, what the Vanars did apparently was to fill in the intermittent breaks within the continuous coral wall to build a smooth highway for free movement. If this is understood, discussion then ceases.
One can believe that the Vanars did indeed build a 'bridge' - though not in the usual meaning of the term. If this line of thinking is accepted - and why shouldn't it not? - then everything falls in it place. One can accept both the scientific findings as well as the so-called mythology surrounding the Ram Sethu.
In regard to the latter, all that one had to do was for the Vanars to carry stones to help fill in the gaps in the broken coral reef wall and thereby complete the passageway from India to Sri Lanka for the smooth transport of men and material. Let us now take an expert's views on the usefulness and relevance of the proposed Sethu Samudram project.
In an interview to Rediff, Captain H Balakrishnan, who has been associated with the Navy for 32 years and is knowledgeable about the pluses and minuses of the Project, has made some relevant observations. According to him, from a mariner's standpoint, the Sethu Samudram project 'does not make any nautical sense'.
In the first place, the Indian Meteorological Department has assigned the coast between Rameshwaram and Cuddalore as 'a high risk probability". Thus, in 1964 the Pamban Bridge was washed away by a severe cyclonic storm. In the second place, maintaining a depth of 12 metres for ships to pass will entail round-the-year dredging.
Once the Channel is set up it will have to be continuously dredged and that adds to the maintenance expenditure. This is a hidden cost. Then again, by the very nature of the project, a 60,000 / deadweight tonne carrier will need anything in excess of a 12 metre draft.
But 60,000 tone carriers are a thing of the past. Today we have very large carriers of the type of 150,000 and 185,000 tones none of which will ever be able to use the Sethu Samudram. Even more relevantly, for a ship to pass through the Sethu Samudram waters, it has to drastically cut down on its speed because the water is shallow and a moving ship will create what it known as the 'Squat Effect'.
According to Capt Balakrishnan, a large ship has to cut down its speed from around 12 and 13 knots per hour to about 6 knots, especially if it is a bulk carrier. Then again, the Sethu Samudram is not an open seaway. It is like entering into a port.
A pilot has to board a ship which ordinarily means that for letting a pilot aboard, an hour has to be wasted and similarly another hour has to be wasted to let him down. Asks Capt Balakrishnan: 'With this 6 knot speed and two hours pilotage delay, the time of Tuticorin via Sethu Samudram works out to 100 hours 30 minutes. If one went round Sri Lanka, the time taken would be 102 hours 15 minutes. If one went round Sri Lanka, the time taken would be 102 hours 15 minutes.
If one went round Sri Lanka, the time taken would be 102 hours 15 minutes. So the net savings in time by going through Sethu Samudram is 1 hour 45 minutes. Would it be worth spending Rs. 2,400 crores - the amount sanctioned for the entire Project - just to save 105 minutes of sailing? Whatever the authorities under political pressure might exaggerate, Mr Balakrishnan doesn't expect more than 1,000 ships using the Sethu Samudram canal.
Taking into account cost incurred per ship, using the Sethu Samudram route would entail shipping companies lose Rs. 19 lakhs per voyage. According to Capt Balakrishnan, what is being planned 'is a while elephant in the making'. He doesn't say it, but everyone knows that the government is willing to spend over Rs. 2,400 crores to satisfy the whims of a coalition partner, the DMK.
This is atrocious and should be strongly resisted, especially also considering the damage the Sethu would do for the livelihood of thousands of fishermen and their families, who will be forced to look for alternate ways of making their meagre fortunes
http://newstodaynet.com/col.php?section=20&catid=58
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Swami Vivekananda at Rameshwaram
Of all the services, that the royal family of Sethupathi-s, the dynasty of Ramnad, has done to India, the most important was that of financing the visit of Swami Vivekananda in 1893 to Chicago, to address the World Religions Conference.
Initially, it was Bhaskara Setupati as the Raja of Ramnad, who had earlier decided to go to US to attend the Parliament of Religions as the representative of Hinduism. But after conversing with Swami Vivekananda, he decided that Swamiji was the right person to attend the conference. Swami decided to accept the Rajaâs offer.
When Swami Vivekananda returned from USA after his grand success, as he was about to land at Rameshwaram, the overjoyed Raja was waiting with his entourage to give him a royal welcome. For the welcome of Swami Vivekananda at Pamban, preparations had been made at the landing wharf for a formal reception, and here, a pandal had been decorated with great taste.
Because of the achievement of Swamiji and as well as the regard, the Raja had for him, he bowed his head and offered it as step for Vivekananda to get down from the boat.
But, Swami tactfully avoided this offer, by jumping from the boat to the land.
A visit was subsequently paid to the Rameswaram Temple, where the Swami addressed the people who had assembled there.
Then the Raja unyoked the bullocks from Vivekanandaâs ceremonial chariot and pulled the conveyance manually with his entourage, till it reached his palace.
On 25th January, 1897 Swami Vivekananda reached Ramnad where the Sethupathi Raja formally welcomed him into his domains. The king began his welcome note as follows:
His Most Holiness, Sri Paramahamsa, Yati-Râja, Digvijaya-Kolâhala, Sarvamata-Sampratipanna, Parama-Yogeeswara, Srimat Bhagavân Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Karakamala Sanjâta, Râjâdhirâja-Sevita, SREE VIVEKANANDA SWAMI, MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HOLINESS:
We, the inhabitants of this ancient and historic Samsthânam of Sethu Bandha Rameswaram, otherwise known as Râmanâthapuram or Ramnad, beg, most cordially, to welcome you to this, our motherland. We deem it a very rare privilege to be the first to pay your Holiness our heartfelt homage on your landing in India, and that, on the shores sanctified by the footsteps of that great Hero and our revered Lord â Sree Bhagavân Râmachandra. [...]
Later on the king erected a victory pillar of 25 feet height with the Upanishadic expression 'Satyameva Jayate' to commemorate the success of Swami Vivekananda at Chicago.
Subsequently Swami proceeded to Madras, where he addressed the assembly at the Victoria Hall, Madras, delivering a lecture which has come to be knows as 'MY PLAN OF CAMPAIGN'.
Some excerpts from this lion-roar address:
It has become a trite saying that idolatry is wrong, and every man swallows it at the present time without questioning. I once thought so, and to pay the penalty of that I had to learn my lesson sitting at the feet of a man who realised everything through idols; I allude to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
If such Ramakrishna Paramahamsas are produced by idol-worship, what will you have â the reformer's creed or any number of idols? I want an answer. Take a thousand idols more if you can produce Ramakrishna Paramahamsas through idol worship, and may God speed you! Produce such noble natures by any means you can.
Yet idolatry is condemned! Why? Nobody knows. Because some hundreds of years ago some man of Jewish blood happened to condemn it? That is, he happened to condemn everybody else's idols except his own. If God is represented in any beautiful form or any symbolic form, said the Jew, it is awfully bad; it is sin. But if He is represented in the form of a chest, with two angels sitting on each side, and a cloud hanging over it, it is the holy of holies.
If God comes in the form of a dove, it is holy. But if He comes in the form of a cow, it is heathen superstition; condemn it! That is how the world goes. That is why the poet says, "What fools we mortals be!" How difficult it is to look through each other's eyes, and that is the bane of humanity. That is the basis of hatred and jealousy, of quarrel and of fight.
Boys, moustached babies, who never went out of Madras, standing up and wanting to dictate laws to three hundred millions of people with thousands of traditions at their back! Are you not ashamed? Stand back from such blasphemy and learn first your lessons! Irreverent boys, simply because you can scrawl a few lines upon paper and get some fool to publish them for you, you think you are the educators of the world, you think you are the public opinion of India! Is it so? This I have to tell to the social reformers of Madras that I have the greatest respect and love for them. I love them for their great hearts and their love for their country, for the poor, for the oppressed. But what I would tell them with a brother's love is that their method is not right; It has been tried a hundred years and failed. Let us try some new method.
Did India ever stand in want of reformers? Do you read the history of India? Who was Ramanuja? Who was Shankara? Who was Nânak? Who was Chaitanya? Who was Kabir? Who was Dâdu? Who were all these great preachers, one following the other, a galaxy of stars of the first magnitude? Did not Ramanuja feel for the lower classes? Did he not try all his life to admit even the Pariah to his community? [...]
We must grow according to our nature. Vain is it to attempt the lines of action that foreign societies have engrafted upon us; it is impossible. Glory unto God, that it is impossible, that we cannot be twisted and tortured into the shape of other nations. I do not condemn the institutions of other races; they are good for them, but not for us. What is meat for them may be poison for us. This is the first lesson to learn. With other sciences, other institutions, and other traditions behind them, they have got their present system. We, with our traditions, with thousands of years of Karma behind us, naturally can only follow our own bent, run in our own grooves; and that we shall have to do.
What is my plan then? My plan is to follow the ideas of the great ancient Masters. I have studied their work, and it has been given unto me to discover the line of action they took. They were the great originators of society. They were the great givers of strength, and of purity, and of life. They did most marvellous work.
===
In another address there:
In speaking of the sages of India, my mind goes back to those periods of which history has no record, and tradition tries in vain to bring the secrets out of the gloom of the past. The sages of India have been almost innumerable, for what has the Hindu nation been doing for thousands of years except producing sages? I will take, therefore, the lives of a few of the most brilliant ones, the epoch-makers, and present them before you, that is to say, my study of them.
This is a peculiarity which we have to understand â that our religion preaches an Impersonal Personal God. It preaches any amount of impersonal laws plus any amount of personality, but the very fountain-head of our religion is in the Shrutis, the Vedas, which are perfectly impersonal; the persons all come in the Smritis and Puranas â the great Avatâras, Incarnations of God, Prophets, and so forth. And this ought also to be observed that except our religion every other religion in the world depends upon the life or lives of some personal founder or founders. Christianity is built upon the life of Jesus Christ, Mohammedanism upon Mohammed, Buddhism upon Buddha, Jainism upon the Jinas, and so on. It naturally follows that there must be in all these religions a good deal of fight about what they call the historical evidences of these great personalities. If at any time the historical evidences about the existence of these personages in ancient times become weak, the whole building of the religion tumbles down and is broken to pieces. We escaped this fate because our religion is not based upon persons but on principles. That you obey your religion is not because it came through the authority of a sage, no, not even of an Incarnation. Krishna is not the authority of the Vedas, but the Vedas are the authority of Krishna himself. His glory is that he is the greatest preacher of the Vedas that ever existed. So with the other Incarnations; so with all our sages.
[...] Coming down to later times, there have been great world-moving sages, great Incarnations of whom there have been many; and according to the Bhâgavata, they also are infinite in number, and those that are worshipped most in India are Râma and Krishna.
Rama, the ancient idol of the heroic ages, the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, the ideal father, and above all, the ideal king, this Rama has been presented before us by the great sage Vâlmiki. No language can be purer, none chaster, none more beautiful and at the same time simpler than the language in which the great poet has depicted the life of Rama.
And what to speak of Sitâ? You may exhaust the literature of the world that is past, and I may assure you that you will have to exhaust the literature of the world of the future, before finding another Sita. Sita is unique; that character was depicted once and for all. There may have been several Ramas, perhaps, but never more than one Sita! She is the very type of the true Indian woman, for all the Indian ideals of a perfected woman have grown out of that one life of Sita; and here she stands these thousands of years, commanding the worship of every man, woman, and child throughout the length and breadth of the land of Ãryâvarta. There she will always be, this glorious Sita, purer than purity itself, all patience, and all suffering. She who suffered that life of suffering without a murmur, she the ever-chaste and ever-pure wife, she the ideal of the people, the ideal of the gods, the great Sita, our national God she must always remain. And every one of us knows her too well to require much delineation.
All our mythology may vanish, even our Vedas may depart, and our Sanskrit language may vanish for ever, but so long as there will be five Hindus living here, even if only speaking the most vulgar patois, there will be the story of Sita present. Mark my words: Sita has gone into the very vitals of our race. She is there in the blood of every Hindu man and woman; we are all children of Sita. Any attempt to modernise our women, if it tries to take our women away from that ideal of Sita, is immediately a failure, as we see every day.
Read More...
Summary only...
http://ramasetu.blogspot.com/2008/02/swami...ameshwaram.html
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Govt set to dump Sethu project </b>
Pioneer.com
Santanu Banerjee | New Delhi
Risking the Left and the DMK wrath, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has informed CPI general secretary AB Bardhan that the UPA Government may not go ahead with Sethusamudram project.Â
Bardhan, who met Sonia on Monday, was told that the Centre was reluctant to pursue the project as it would provide the BJP with an emotive issue in the run up to the next general elections, source said.
<b>Expressing his displeasure, sources said, Bardhan told Sonia that shelving the project at this stage would imply dumping 60 per cent of Government's fund (already spent) into "ocean of waste". </b>
Incidentally, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M Karunanidhi had repeatedly made known his unhappiness on slow progress of the project.
The Sethu project has become a major issue in Tamil Nadu and Karunanidhi has reportedly threatened the Congress of serious political consequences if the project was shelved.
Karunanidhi's bitter political foe and AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa has been demanding that Ram Setu be declared a monument of national heritage and she has gone to the Supreme Court seeking direction to authorities to take alternative routes for completing the project without demolishing Ram Setu.
According to sources, the issue of the Sethusamudram project came up for discussion when Bardhan called on Sonia to discuss delay in execution of some Government projects.
The sources said in addition to the concern about giving the BJP a political agenda, the Government has also come under pressure from security and intelligence agencies to dump the project.
<b>The sources said security agencies had warned the North Block that on completion the project would provide easy passage to LTTE cadre to sneak into India.</b>
Recently, the Director-General of Coast Guard had gone on record saying the project would pose security risk to the country.
In the past weeks, the Government dropped enough hints about its intention to go slow on the project. It sought repeated adjournments for filing the affidavit on the two-fold issues regarding historicity of Ram Setu and the alignment of the project.
Sources said even though the Left might not raise the type of noise it made on India-US civilian nuclear deal, but it would use the opportunity to criticise the Congress for compromising the "secular" credentials of the UPA Government.
Meanwhile, in Chennai a DMK spokesman, when contacted by The Pioneer, said it would not be possible for the party to comment on the issue, without knowing the full details of the Centre's position.
<b>"As far as we are concerned, we will continue to insist that the Sethusamudram project be implemented fully," DMK organising secretary TKS Elangovan said</b>.
There was no change in the DMK's stand on the project that the UPA Government should not give in to pressure from any quarters, he said.
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<b>Baalu not ready to wait for Sethusamudram survey </b>
New Delhi (PTI): <b>The Shipping Ministry has decided to go ahead with the Sethusamudram project without waiting for an archaeological survey even as differences within the government on the issue persist</b>.
At a meeting of the Group of Ministers, Shipping Minister T R Baalu is understood to have pressed for giving the controversial project the green signal without waiting for the survey as favoured by the Culture Ministry.
Culture Minister Ambika Soni is in favour of a detailed archaeological survey as per international norms before taking any decision on the project which is being opposed by Hindu groups.
The Supreme Court on January 31 granted another four weeks extention to the Centre to file affidavits related to the Sethusamudram project.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan accepted the request of Additional Solicitor-General R Mohan that the two-weeks' time granted to the Centre on Janaury 16 to file the affidavits be extended by four weeks and posted the matter for hearing in the first week of March.
Due to differences, the GoM constituted to finalise Centre's stand on the project could not reach any conclusion.
Besides Soni and Baalu, the GoM is comprised of Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal and Law Minister HR Bhardwaj.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002...152225.htm
In Kurukshetra by Ramadhari Singh Dinkar
Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' (September 23, 1908 - April 24, 1974) was a nationalistic Hindi poet, who is considered as one of the most important modern Hindi poets. He emerged as a rebellious voice with his nationalist poetry in pre-Independence days, exuding veer rasa, and naturally he has been hailed as a "Rashtrakavi" ("National poet") in the same class as Subramanyam Bharati or Maithili Sharan Gupt.
He called himself a "Bad Gandhian", because although a follower of Gandhi he did not support the extreme application of ahimsa as a state policy, instead he considered proper use of force as a policy of acheiving larger ahimsa for the soceity.
Kurukshetra - a classical epic he wrote in 1946 - presents this debate and reflection. The plot of this classic is post-Mahabharata-war dialogue between Yudhishthira the Eldest Pandava and his grand sire Bheeshma Pitamaha upon his bed of arrows. In a way, Kurukshetra is a modern narrative of Shanti and Anushasan Parva of Mahabharata.
In this epic, at one place Sri Dinakar has Bheeshma mention the Setu Bandhana.
Hearing the arguments of Yudhishthira about the merits of peace and demerits of war, Bheeshma laughs and responds:
tyaaga, tapa, bhikshaa? bahut hoon jaanataa mai bhee, magar,
tyaaga, tapa, bhikshaa viraagi yogiyon ke dharma hain;
yaaki unaki neeti, jinake haath me shaayak nahee;
yaa mrishaa paashanDa yah us kaapurush balheen kaa -
jo sadaa bhayabheet rahata yuddha se, yeh sochakar
glaanimay jeevan bahut achchha, maraNa achchaa nahee
{tyaga, tapa, bhiksha - I know about these enough and more, but:
leave these for the dharma of virakta yogis alone,
or for those probably who hold not the duty-rod of the statesmen,
or these could be useful techniques for the cowards afraid of war -
who consider living an insultful life better than dying a graceful death}
===
kaanan me dekh asthi-punja muni-pungavo ka
daitya-vadha ka kiya praNa jab rama ne
"mati-bhrashta maanavo ke shodha ka upaaya ek
shastra hee hai?" poochhaa tha komal-manaa-vaam ne
"nahee priye, sudhar manushya sakata hai tap,
tyaag se bhee," uttar diyaa tha ghana-shyam ne,
"tapa kaa kintu, vasha chalataa nahee sadaiv,
patit-samooh kee ku-vrittiyo ke saamane"
{Beholding the mountains of bones of the sages in the forest
when Lord Rama took a vow to exterminate off all the daitya-s,
His tender left (Seeta) had thus asked: can there be -
no peaceful way of bringing these evil-minded to proper path?
Yes Darling, had replied the dark one, man can of course change himself
through tapa and tyaag, but when faced with such tendencies of sin-fallen as these
even the policy of tapa does not always yield the right results}
==
teen divas tak pantha maangate, raghupati sindhu-kinaare,
baithe padhate rahe chhanda, anunaya ke pyaare pyaare
uttar me jab ek naad bhee, uthaa nahee saagar se,
uthi adheer dhadhak paurush-kee, aag rama ke tana se,
sindhu deh dhar 'trahi-trahi', karata aa giraa sharaN me,
charaN pooj daasataa grahaN kee, bandhaa moodha, bandhan me
{for three days, on the sindhu shores, Raghupati kept singing -
the humble paeans to Sagara and begging for a crossway
In response not even a wave came forward.
And that is when flames of manhood and rage started emitting from Rama
that immediately appeared ocean-god, crying for mercy, and praying at his feet
taking Rama's shelter, the idiot then bound itself in Setu-bandhan}
<b>Govt to go ahead with Sethu project</b>
Sunil Prabhu
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 (New Delhi)
<b>Under pressure from its southern allies the government on Tuesday in a draft affidavit said it wants the project to go ahead,</b> but a final decision will be taken the day after tomorrow.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on Tuesday agreed upon a draft affidavit that says the project to dredge a shipping canal <b>between India and Sri Lanka should go ahead without any change in alignment</b>.
The draft also asks the court to vacate its stay on the project and dismiss a petition that said the project would harm the Ram Sethu.
According to sources, the <b>culture ministry's objections in the meeting were overruled because no scientific exploration has been done to establish whether the Ram Sethu is natural or manmade. </b> <i>huh?</i> <!--emo&:blink:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='blink.gif' /><!--endemo-->
The government has to submit the affidavit in Supreme Court by March 5.
<b>Centre files fresh affidavit on Sethusamudram project</b>
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New Delhi: The Centre has filed fresh affidavit on Sethusamudram project in the Supreme Court. <b>The affidavit seeks vacation of apex court's interim orders of August 31, 2007 and September 14.</b>
<b>The Centre says state policy cannot be decided on the basis of any faith.</b>
And whether the Ram Sethu was constructed by Ram or not, it cannot be determined by scientific methods.
The Centre also adds that this is a possible alignment for the Sethusamudram project and besides, the danger of tsunami will be minimised by coming out of this project.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs had approved a new affidavit on Ram Setu. The Government sought to lift the stay on the construction of the controversial project off the Tamil Nadu coastline.
The affidavit will be filed in Supreme Court on March 5. Sources have told CNN-IBN that the Government wants the project to go ahead, something which the DMK - a key ally of the Government - has been demanding for some time now.
However, the UPA has been more cautious this time around. It says there is no available scientific evidence to prove that Ram Setu is a man-made structure, but adds that the <b>Archaeological Survey of India doesn't have the expertise</b> to either support to contradict this conclusion.
The affidavit also says that the legend of Lord Ram in literature, philosophy and religious sentiment occupies a significant place in the psyche of a large segment of Indian society.
<b>Significantly, the Government is also ready to consider an alternate alignment that would not affect the structure.</b> The Government wants work on the project to start in November should the Supreme Court give its go ahead.
The views of the Culture Ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India on the historical and cultural aspects of the case also have been taken note of.
In the first affidavit which was filed by the centre on the Sethusamundram project (and later withdrawn) the Centre had made the following controversial statements:
<b>Ram Setu is not a manmade structure, but a natural formation made up of shoals
Valmiki's Ramayan and Ramcharitmanas are mythological texts and they cannot be reiled upon</b>
<b>Ram Setu is at best a case of disputed mythology</b> and not a matter of historical importance Sethusamudram Project
The Sethusamudram Project was originally conceived by a British commander of the Indian Marine, A D Taylor, in 1860. And while he may have been inspired by the Suez Canal at that time, nearly one and a half centuries later, India's decision to revive his abandoned dream project will have very little similarity to the vastly profitable Suez Canal or Panama Canal.
At least that's what this study done by a group of researchers led by Jacob <b>John and Sudarshan Rodriguez </b>claims.
"What we find is that the project has based its economic rationale only on distance saved for coastal shipping which is the highest which is 22 hours and the time saved is 22 hours," said senior research associate Sudarshan Rodriguez from <b>Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment.</b>
But Rodriguez says for ships coming from Europe and Africa, the time saved is only 30 per cent of what is claimed by the project. From Aden time saved is just 8-12 hours. From Mauritius ships will actually lose time.
"The tariff for this project is based on the savings from," said Rodriguez.
Coastal shipping saying that 50 per cent of time saved will be the tariff charged. So for a vessel which is around 20,000 Dead Weight Tons (DWT) we find that the savings by using the canal will be around $18,000.
"So ideally tariff then would be $9000. However the savings for a ship coming from Aden is only $4000. So if a ship from Aden is using the canal they are losing $5000," said Rodriguez.
This study also found that 70 per cent of shipping traffic in the Indian Ocean are big shipping vessels like oil tankers and bulk carriers. So it becomes next to impossible for them to navigate this narrow channel.
Captain Balakrishnan, a retired Indian Navy frigate commander who's done a parallel study says that ships would go around Sri Lanka rather than have to go through a canal with draught restrictions and with a need for a pilot to embark and disembark from the ship.
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