Emboldened by Geneva now DMK renews calls for continuing Sethusamudram project

A group of Tamil Nadu’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party had met All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi and urged her not to abandon the controversial Ram-Sethu or Sethusamudram Canal Project.

According to foreign media reports, the DMK group headed by DMK parliamentary group chief T.R. Baalu had met Sonia Gandhi and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and handed over a petition calling on the central government to expedite the existing court cases regarding the project and expedite its completion.

T.R. Baalu was quoted by the BBC Tamil Service as having said that Sonia Gandhi had given an assurance that she would instruct the central government to take the necessary steps.

However, this same request which had been taken to the Indian parliament had faced opposition from the Jayalalithaa Jayaram led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) which claims that Adam’s Bridge, the narrow strips of sand and coral which runs across the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka is revered by Hindus and that the area be declared a national monument.

With litigation pending after a stay order by the Supreme Court of India, this project which envisages the dredging and deepening of the straits and will destroy the Ram Sethu or Adam’s Bridge, which has angered the Hindu community which considers it sacred and revere it as the bridge built by Hindu god Ram to reach Sri Lanka.

The Sethu project was inaugurated by Dr. Manmohan Singh in July 2005. On completion it would enable ships to pass through the Palk Straits instead of circumventing Sri Lanka. This is expected to save 424 nautical miles (780 kms) and up to 30 hours of sailing time.