The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Dredging will continue, says Baalu

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Saturday, Sep 03, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Dredging will continue, says Baalu

Staff Reporter

"No sign of environmental degradation at the dredging and dumping sites"

MADURAI: The ongoing dredging operations of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project will not be stopped, the Union Minister for Shipping, T.R. Baalu, said here on Friday.

Reacting to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's demand to stop dredging, claiming that it had an adverse impact on ecology, Mr. Baalu told newsmen, "There is no just reason to stop the dredging activity."

Stating that 6.5 per cent of the dredging work had been completed in the last two months, he said there was no sign of environmental degradation both at the dredging as well as dumping sites.

"We have scientists monitoring water quality in ecologically-sensitive places such as Point Calimere and Muthupettai every four hours. Besides, the same tests are conducted every eight hours on shore."

When asked about the Chief Minister's allegation that dredging was affecting fishing activity, he said there was no fishing activity at all in the vicinity of dredging sites.

"Dredging is not new to India. All the 12 major ports in the country have been undertaking this work periodically," the minister said.

Recalling Ms. Jayalalithaa's statement that former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran and she herself had spoken in Parliament in favour of implementation of the ship channel project, Mr. Baalu said, "The project is all about dredging. How can one implement it without any dredging?"

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