The Hindu Business Line : Sethusamudram project dredging

The dredging of Adam's Bridge, the southern end of the Sethusamudram project, is to start from today (Monday, December 11) in the presence of the Union Shipping Minister, Mr T. R. Baalu. An estimated 48 million cubic metres of silt will be removed over the next two years to achieve a draft of 12 metres by end 2008.

The state-owned Dredging Corporation of India, which has been entrusted with the job, will deploy three of its own dredgers immediately — one cutter suction dredger and two trailer suction hopper dredgers. "We'll need more dredgers which may have to be acquired on charter but not immediately, may be after the next monsoon," said Mr N. K. Raghupathy, Chairman of the Tuticorin Port Trust and also CMD of the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, indicating that the dredging of Adam's Bridge was a critical job.

Dredging Corporation of India has also been engaged in dredging the northern end of the channel for more than a year now. It may be noted that the cost of dredging for the entire project has been revised upwards from the original Rs 1,720 crore to Rs 2,170 crore to take into account the impact of service charge which became effective from April 2005.

OUR BUREAU