Chennai:
Ram Sethu will not be broken for the proposed controversial Sethu Samudram shipping canal project and a decision will be taken in the next one month, according to Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari.
Addressing a televised press conference which was attended by journalists from several Indian cities, including Delhi and Chennai on Monday, the minister said that he will visit Ram Sethu before forwarding the proposal to Union Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said that Union government has given RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) the task of preparing alternatives available to save the structure. “The report by RITES is ready and it will be put before the cabinet. A decision will be taken within a month, Gadkari
said.
The proposal to build the Sethusamudram shipping canal project for dredging was for navigation of large ships and creating fishing and shipping harbours in the coastal areas.
The minister said that there are four to five alternatives and a
decision will be worked out without destroying Ram Sethu, which is a continuous stretch of limestone shoals that runs from Pamban Island near Rameshwaram in South India to Mannar Island off the northern coast of Sri Lanka. According to Hindu legend, the structure was built by Lord Rama and his army of monkeys to invade Sri Lanka and rescue
his wife Sita.
The project, considered as the pet project of DMK, was inaugurated during UPA-1 regime in 2006. The project was allotted Rs 4,000 crore initially to start dredging works for the new shipping canal.
Interestingly, the minister wants to visit Ram Sethu before forwarding the proposal before the cabinet. “We are also seeking the advice of international consultant on these four alternatives before arriving at a decision,” Gadkari said.
Ram Sethu will not be broken for the proposed controversial Sethu Samudram shipping canal project and a decision will be taken in the next one month, according to Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari.
Addressing a televised press conference which was attended by journalists from several Indian cities, including Delhi and Chennai on Monday, the minister said that he will visit Ram Sethu before forwarding the proposal to Union Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said that Union government has given RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) the task of preparing alternatives available to save the structure. “The report by RITES is ready and it will be put before the cabinet. A decision will be taken within a month, Gadkari
said.
The proposal to build the Sethusamudram shipping canal project for dredging was for navigation of large ships and creating fishing and shipping harbours in the coastal areas.
The minister said that there are four to five alternatives and a
decision will be worked out without destroying Ram Sethu, which is a continuous stretch of limestone shoals that runs from Pamban Island near Rameshwaram in South India to Mannar Island off the northern coast of Sri Lanka. According to Hindu legend, the structure was built by Lord Rama and his army of monkeys to invade Sri Lanka and rescue
his wife Sita.
The project, considered as the pet project of DMK, was inaugurated during UPA-1 regime in 2006. The project was allotted Rs 4,000 crore initially to start dredging works for the new shipping canal.
Interestingly, the minister wants to visit Ram Sethu before forwarding the proposal before the cabinet. “We are also seeking the advice of international consultant on these four alternatives before arriving at a decision,” Gadkari said.
No comments:
Post a Comment