30 July :The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it has constituted a 6-member committee to consider the issue of taking an alternative route to spare Ram Setu from being destroyed while completing the Sethusamudram Canal project.
Senior counsel Fali S Nariman, appearing for the Centre, produced the letter written by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar which said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appointed the panel headed by Dr R K Pachauri, Director General, Tata Energy Research Institute.
The Committee has been asked to submit its report as quickly as possible.
"The Committee will quickly examine the feasibility of the alternative alignment suggested by the Supreme Court for the Sethusamudram shipping canal project between Dhanushkodi and Land End on Rameshwaram island keeping in view the technical aspects, cost benefit analysis, social and cultural impact, environmental impact, law and order aspects and any other related matter," the PMO letter said.
Union Minister T R Baalu, whose DMK is keen on early execution of the project, in his reaction, said the committee should take stock of all the data that has been collected previously and can also go visit the area if it wants.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari said if there was a possibility of an alternative alignment definitely it would be considered by the UPA government.
The Court was informed that the PMO has decided to set up an experts committee headed by Pachauri, who is Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), to look into the suggestion.
The Committee has been asked to submit its report as quickly as possible.
"The Committee will quickly examine the feasibility of the alternative alignment suggested by the Supreme Court for the Sethusamudram shipping canal project between Dhanushkodi and Land’s End on Rameswaram island keeping in view the technical aspects, cost benefit analysis, social and cultural impact, environmental impact, law and order aspects and any other related matter," the PMO letter said.
A storm was created when the government told the Supreme Court in an affidavit that a character like Lord Ram did not not exist which was later withdrawn following protests.
There was further controversy when the government’s counsel said citing a Tamil version of Ramayan, Kamba Ramayan, that Lord Ram himself demolished the Ram Setu, which was later amended to say that a portion was destroyed to allow for movement of ships.
After the marathon hearing, the apex court reserved its verdict on the issue saying that it will wait for the report of the six-member expert committee.
It told the parties involved in the matter could file their written submission within two weeks.
Besides Pachauri, other members of the Committee are T Chakrabarti, Acting Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), S R Shetye, Director, National Institute of Oceanography, S Kathiroli, National Institute of Ocean Technology, Rear Admiral B R Rao, Chief Hydrographer to the Government and P M Tajale, Director General, Geological Survey of India.
The Centre has also nominated N Sundaradevan, Principal Secretary (Environment and Forests), Tamil Nadu Government, and R Kirtoshkumar, Collector, Ramanathapuram District as special invitees in the committee.
After the Government’s order on appointment of the committee was placed before the Bench, counsel appearing for anti-project petitioners countered the arguments of the Centre saying that pushing the project through alignment 6, i.e through Rama Setu, will not only hurt the faith and religious sentiments of the people but would also amount to violation of various environmental laws.
Attacking the Centre’s stand that Rama Setu was destroyed by Lord Rama himself, senior advocate K Parasaran said the court was not informed that even Tamil version of Ramayana, Kumba Ramayana, has described Rama Sethu as sacred.
He said there are certain interpolations in different versions of Ramayana but that did not dilute the faith and sentiments attached to Rama Setu. Courtsey DD NEWS