09-18-2007, 07:44 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> <b>Dredging stops at Sethusamudram </b>
Chennai, Sept 18: With the stoppage of the Sethusamudram project work in Ram Sethu area, the three ships involved in dredging have been sent to Nagapattinam, about 270 km from here.
The dredging work was stopped at 4 PM yesterday and the ships involved in transporting workers and disposing the silt had also been sent to Nagapattinam last evening, official sources said today.
However, a top official of the project refused to clarify why the ships were being sent to Nagapattinam and also declined to comment on future plans.
The dredging ships had so far desilted 35 cubic million feet out of 82 MCft of silt.
Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu yesterday said the dredging would be resumed soon by obtaining appropriate orders from the Supreme Court, which had put on hold demolition of Ram Sethu while passing interim orders on a PIL.
The apex court had, however, allowed the dredging activity to continue to the extent that it did not in anyway cause any destruction to the Ram Sethu, the mythical bridge situated south-east off Rameswaram. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Chennai, Sept 18: With the stoppage of the Sethusamudram project work in Ram Sethu area, the three ships involved in dredging have been sent to Nagapattinam, about 270 km from here.
The dredging work was stopped at 4 PM yesterday and the ships involved in transporting workers and disposing the silt had also been sent to Nagapattinam last evening, official sources said today.
However, a top official of the project refused to clarify why the ships were being sent to Nagapattinam and also declined to comment on future plans.
The dredging ships had so far desilted 35 cubic million feet out of 82 MCft of silt.
Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu yesterday said the dredging would be resumed soon by obtaining appropriate orders from the Supreme Court, which had put on hold demolition of Ram Sethu while passing interim orders on a PIL.
The apex court had, however, allowed the dredging activity to continue to the extent that it did not in anyway cause any destruction to the Ram Sethu, the mythical bridge situated south-east off Rameswaram. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->