The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Disband committee on Sethu project: Jayalalithaa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 22, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Disband committee on Sethu project: Jayalalithaa

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa on Sunday said that the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project seemed to be going the same way, as did the old Veeranam Project, initiated by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in the 1970s.

“Inglorious end”

“It met with an inglorious end and history will only be repeating itself,” she said in a statement here.

“The Union Government has now constituted a committee to examine the project afresh before submitting a report to the apex court. Strangely enough, this committee can hardly be described as a committee of experts as being claimed by the Union Government. At least three of the members are historians and they can only vouch for the historical validity of the Rama legend,” she said.

“There are no social scientists to discuss the problems of coastal people, particularly fishermen. To discuss navigational issues, there are no maritime or naval experts. There are no defence personnel to discuss security concerns, especially when the Sethusamudram Canal becomes an international sea-way. There are no oceanographers to discuss ocean currents and their effects, especially as it comes within a tsunami-hit area. There are no economists to discuss economy-related issues especially when the Sethusamudram project is being touted as one that will economically uplift Tamil Nadu. These conspicuous and glaring omissions raise serious doubts about the credibility of the committee and the possible veracity of its report,” she said.

Public debate

She questioned the basis on which the committee was constituted. “I demand that the committee be disbanded and a truly impartial and competent committee consisting of representatives of the above disciplines, in addition to historians and environmentalists be drawn up. This committee should then hold a transparent public debate to which people, the media and political parties should be invited. The views of all should be recorded.”

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