Thoughts sparked reading few articles about the so called 150 years old dream of Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project. Is it really of national economic interest or is it a collateral damage to the national heritage? No doubt the project is cent percent for the national economy; but the current alignment of dredging through Ram Sethu will jinx the Indian heritage.
India has a peninsular coast with trades juggling between the western countries, the west coast and the east coast. The presence of Ram Sethu with its shallow waters forces the ships to circumnavigate Sri Lanka, which of course is a longer sailing. The Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project's current alignment is to dredge a two way canal across the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka. This will cut short an additional distance of 254-424 nautical miles and 21-36 hours of sailing time. This will directly benefit the shipping industry; the Indian exports will get competitive globally and a few more will assist the booming Indian economy.
If there’s such an extent of economic benefit, why are the protests from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the VHP, the BJP and the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha?
Ram Sethu, also known as Adam's bridge, is a 48 km chain of limestone shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near north-western Sri Lanka, and Rameshwaram, off the south-eastern coast of India. Sea is very shallow, being only 3ft to 30 ft deep in places. Ram Sethu, as indicated in Sanskrit epic Ramayana, was the bridge built, and used by Rama and his allies to rescue Sita from Ravana; hence of great importance to Hindu heritage. Adam's bridge is of Islamic importance, as indicated by a legend; Adam used this bridge to reach Adam's Peak in Sri Lanka, where he stood repentant on one foot for 1000 years.
Ram Sethu defines not just the Indian historical importance; but provides a shield to southern Kerala against Tsunami. Local fishermen also say that the present canal would destroy marine life and corals. This will kill the shell trades which has a turnover of Rs 150 crores per annum. Invaluable thorium deposits would be affected which is important for Indian nuclear projects.
Then what’s the gamble? There’s a race to control the oil transit route; Indian competitors being China. With “String of Pearls”, being the line of strategic base points from Straights of Persian Gulf via the Indian Ocean to South China Sea, China has taken the lead. Realizing this, the political spear heads in Delhi have been trying the best in their counter attack; the most important being the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project as Sri Lanka is now the trump card in the game. And of course the US of A has to be there in the game when it is OIL as China's rising maritime power is encountering American maritime power along the sea lines of communication (SLOCs) that connect China to vital energy resources in the Middle East and Africa. The US grand plan for 1000 ships naval flotilla and the US Navy operational directive refusing to accept the sea between India and Sri Lanka as 'historic' is pushing the UPA to get the project done. On the other side, Tamil Nadu DMK government and their Non-Brahmin attitude is ignoring the beliefs of millions on Ramayana. Added to this, Tuticorin Port Trust has sent a report to the UPA stating that the canal can be dredged through Ram Sethu. Other experts also doubt the existence of Rama and whether humans were involved in producing any of the patterns. As result the current canal alignment seems to be the decision for the secular government.
Then what could be the solution than jeopardizing millions’ belief and heritage? A re-alignment of the canal which is surely available is the solution. This will safeguard the heritage and maintain national security without touching Ram Sethu. It will also ensure the economic growth by having a different alignment. Nobody is opposing the Sethusamudram project, but only the current alignment. Let’s stand together in support of the project; but a different alignment which will preserve Ram Sethu - राम सेतु!
