The Hindu : Front Page : Stop work on Sethu project: Jayalalithaa

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Saturday, Sep 03, 2005

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Stop work on Sethu project: Jayalalithaa

Special Correspondent

Dredging will affect fisherfolk; State Government will not remain a mute spectator, Centre told

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday urged the Centre to stop dredging work for the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP), claiming that it would affect the life of fisherfolk.

In a statement here, she said, "My Government, which has set people's welfare as its goal, will not allow the execution of the project in such a way to destroy the life of the fisher folk." It will not remain a mute spectator to their sufferings, she added.

Accusing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of indulging in "doublespeak," Ms. Jayalalithaa said the party sought Constitutional amendments to preserve national integration by ensuring a total and genuine federal system on the basis of State autonomy on the one hand, and use the Central power arbitrarily without respecting or consulting the State Governments, on the other.

Though the SSCP became a reality, thanks to the efforts made by the former Chief Minister, M.G. Ramachandaran, and herself, she had taken a firm stand that the livelihood of the people should not be affected. The project should be taken up only after a clear solution was found to the environmental issues, besides protecting the livelihood of fishermen. Only for that reason, she avoided participating in the function held to launch the SSCP, Ms. Jayalalithaa claimed.

The experts' panel, appointed by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to look into all aspects of the project's impact on environment for providing no-objection certificate, also stressed the need for undertaking studies before executing it.

However, "for reasons best known to DMK president M. Karunanidhi, Union Minister for Shipping T.R. Baalu and [the] Central Government, the SSCP was launched in a haste after receiving the no-objection certificate issued by the Central Environment and Forest Ministry." Just as the fishermen, affected by the December 26 tsunami, started life afresh, they were being pushed to a situation where they might lose their livelihood again. Representations made by the fishing community on the loss of fishing nets worth several lakh of rupees, destruction of fish breeding grounds, loss of fish production due to changes in the deep-sea, and migration of marine species owing to the movement of big vessels engaged in dredging in the Palk Straits, she said.

The State Government took the stand that any project should be implemented only in the interest of the people but the Centre wanted the people to compromise their interests for the scheme, she said.

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