• Investment World
• eWorld
• Catalyst
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Port Info

• Ships in Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• Business Line
• The Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Our Bureau

Chennai , Sept. 2

THE Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, has urged the Centre to immediately stop the dredging work on the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project.

In a statement released to the Press, Ms Jayalalithaa said the State Government would no longer tolerate the misery that the dredging has caused to the fisherfolk. The State Government will not permit the project being implemented in a way that threatens their livelihood.

The State Government had maintained that it would issue no-objection certificate only after a detailed study of the impact of the project on the environment and the livelihood of the fisherfolk and after protecting the livelihood of those dependent on the natural resources. However, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests cleared the project without waiting for the State Government's approval and the Sethusamudram project was launched hastily in July, she said.

Now, ships dredging in the Palk Strait have damaged fishing nets estimated at several lakhs of rupees, fish spawning sites have been destroyed and the usual shrimp catches of about 20 tonnes a day have dwindled to nothing. Fisherfolks have represented that even dolphins and rare fishes have started migrating out of the area, she said.

The Tamil Nadu Government had earlier constituted an expert committee headed by the former director of the National Institute of Ocean Technology, Dr M. Ravindran. The committee, which submitted its report on May 30, had cautioned that more extensive studies were needed before the project could be implemented.

The Rs 2,400-crore Sethusamudram ship channel envisages dredging of a 167-km channel along the Palk Straits, Palk Bay and Adam's Bridge between Sri Lanka and India to connect the Bay of Bengal and the Gulf of Mannar. This would enable ships take a shorter route between the two countries instead of having to sail around Sri Lanka.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
TN asks Centre to stop work on Sethusamudram

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line