The unsalvaged spud near Rama Setu

The unsalvaged spud near Rama Setu If this what can happen to a 50 tonne spud which is lying unsalvaged for over 12 months now, one can only speculate on the dangers which await ships which will get grounded in these turbulent waters of the Indian Ocean. There are NO provisions whatsoever for salvage operations in case a ship gets grounded in the proposed mid-ocean channel passage, quite unlike the special arrangements made on Suez land-based canal with heavy bollards installed every 200 ft. on either bank of the canal to tug out grounded vessels using metal wires tied to the bollards. But, then who cares for navigational safey in the project disaster called Setu mid-ocean Channel Project, an undertaking unprecedented in human history? Kalyanaraman Dinathanthi Tamil daily (Madurai Edition) 19 Feb. 2008 Fishing vessels damaged by the spud which broke during Setu dredging Demand for compensation to fisherfolk by Rameshwaram Rama Setu Protection Movement Rameshwaram, Feb. 19During dredging operations for Setusamudram Channel Project, a spud broke and got  stuck near Rama Setu. This spud which has not been removed from the Rama Setu area has been damaging fishing vessels and fishing-nets are getting entangled as shown in the photograph. Rameshwaram Rama Setu Protection Movement has issued a press note demanding compensation for the fisherfolk who have suffered damages and whose livelihood has been adversely affected by the damages. Spud tool Advocate Kuppuram who is also Secretary of Rameshwaram Rama Setu Protection Movement and President of Bharatiya Fishermen Federation of Tamilnadu met the Press yesterday. He said during the Press meet: The issue related to stopping the attempted destruction of Rama Setu in the name of Setu Channel Project is subjudice. Together with Hindu Munnani District Secretary Advocate Ramamurthy and others, we did a spot investigation where attempts were made to destroy Rama Setu. We have also photographed the changes which have been recorded because of the Project work. The spud is a tool used to break huge rocks and was used by the dredger ship called Aquarius. This spud broke during dredging/stone-breaking operations and fell into the Gulf waters. To retrieve this spud, a ship named Thangam was engaged and the crane of this also broke. In this context, the spud weighing 50 tonnes and which is 15 metres long is still lying on the sea-bed unretrieved, unsalvaged. When the sea level recedes (with low-tides) in this ocean zone, fishing vessels which pass through this zone get damaged by this spud. So far 20 fishing vessels and over 100 fishing nets have been lost or damaged. Fishermen have been subjected to heavy losses because of this reason. Steps Because of the non-removal of the spud, there is continuing danger of more damages being caused to more ships and fishing vessels. Despite repeated demands for the removal of this spud, Government and Setusamudram Corporation have not so far any action. The spot where the spud is lying is between the 5^th and 6^th tidal (reefs), 11.4 nautical miles from Mukundarayar Chattiram.

Compensation should be provided to the owners of the damaged vessels who have suffered losses. National Security The Setu Shipping Channel Project is a move to devastate the livelihoos of over 20 lakh coastal people. Indian Coast Guard Director General has recently expressed concern that this endangers national security. So the Central and State Governments should review the project.So he said. (Translation from Tamil News report shown above).  

Centre hurts peoples’ sentiments, insisting on cutting through Rama Setu

In the affidavit approved for submission to SC, Centre reportedly asks SC to decide on Sri Rama. This is disgraceful buck-passing, a cop-out, without admitting the reality of Sri Rama in the nation’s identity and unity.

If the reports are true, the proposed new affidavit is an insult, a deep hurt on sentiments of millions of people by proposing that the mid-ocean channel (SSCP) will  desiccate the sacred Rama Setu. This is politics at its worst, just to stay in power with the support of an atheist group (synonym in vogue for ’secular’). Taking such a stance, it is political dishonesty to aver in media reports that peoples’ sentiments are being respected.

Kindly write/Email to authorities in India with a request to –

(a)    notify the ‘Ramsetu’ (Ram’s Bridge) sited in the Rameswaram sea as a “protected, historic national heritage of Bharat”;
(b)    notify the ‘Rameswaram’ Island as a “Holy Pilgrimage Place (Divyakshetram)”;
(c)     leave the Ramsetu totally unscathed,;                                       (d) use the existing Pamban gap (with a cantilever BG Railbridge) to tranship goods between Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay,
(e)    adopt an alternative to improve the lives of coastal people and for ‘real’ development of the nation by establishing “Marine Economic Zones” (MEZs) to extend upto 200 kms. of the ocean from the coastline. MEZs have the potential to realize Rs. 40,000 crores of foreign exhange per annum by exporting marine products juxtaposed to the Rs. 200 crore earning from a shipping channel (SSCP).

Government should notify Ramasetu as a ‘National Heritage Monument’ under section 4(1) of the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act, 1959. The Ram Setu comes well within the expression ‘ancient monument’ just as the Brahma Sarovar at Kurukshetra – the land of the Gita (in Haryana and 160 kms north of Delhi) was on a similar consideration declared by the Punjab and Haryana High Court {cf. Air 1993 P&H 204} as an ancient monument.

Besides it being a matter of belief, faith, deference and reverence of all of us to save the Ram Setu, it is nevertheless our national cause for the sake of national security, promotion of heritage-/eco-tourism, protection against future tsunami threats, preservation of marine flora, fauna, environment and ecology, banking upon one of our indigenous sources of nuclear energy (about 32% of Thorium deposits of the world in the area) and ensuring livelihood for 20 lakh coastal fisherfolk.

Jallikattu (bull fight) was allowed by SC on the ground that banning it would hurt the sentiments of people in some districts of Tamil nadu. Desiccating Rama Setu would hurt sentiments of millions of people world over. Government should be reminded to respect the peoples’ sentiments. PM may recall the sage advice of former Supreme Court Justice VR Krishna Iyer that no patriotic Indian can support this SSCP.

Dr. S. Kalyanaraman

Faxes/Emails may be sent to:

Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil
President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan,
New Delhi, India – 110 004.
Fax : 00-91-11-23017920 / 00-91-11-23017824
Telephone : 00-91-11-23015321
Email ID: <presidentofindia@rb.nic.in>

Dr Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi, India-110 011
Fax: 91-11-23019545 / 91-11-23016857.
Telephone: 91-11-23012312.
E-mail: manmohan@sansad.nic.in
Residence: 7, Race Course Road, New Delhi
Tel. – 23018939, 23011156, 23018907, 23019334, 23015470

Hon’ble Mr. K. Gopinathan Balakrishnan
Chief Justice of India
C/o-Secretary General,
Supreme Court of India,
Tilak Marg, New Delhi-110 001 (India)
E-mail : supremecourt@nic.in

Shri Lal Krishna Advani
Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha (House of People of Parliament of India)
Member, Committee on Home Affairs, Government of India
Residence: 30, Prithviraj Road,
New Delhi – 110 003 (India)
Email: advanilk@sansad.nic.in
Tels. (011) 23794125, 23794124
Fax: (011) 23017015

Govt asks SC to decide on ‘Lord Ram’

2/28/2008 11:32:54 AM (TimesNow TV)

Under pressure from its allies down south, paticularly the DMK, the Govenment in a draft affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court has said that the Ram Sethu is not man made and that work on the Sethu Samundaram project must resume.
The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved the final draft of the Centre’s affidavit on the Sethusamudram project to be filed in the Supreme Court.
The CCPA has decided that the Centre can go ahead with the filing of the affidavit in the Supreme Court on March 5.
As per the affidavit, the Government will seek to remove the stay on the project. It will also seek to dismiss all PILs on the issue. The government is filing the revised affidavit after withdraiwng its first controversial affidavit on September 14.
The draft of the second affidavit is a toned-down version as it says: “There is no scientific evidence that the Ram Sethu is a man-made structure. It is a matter of faith of millions of Indians it was built by Lord Ram. The Government to seek SC direction on how to honour matters of faith.”
The initial affidavit had created a furore after the Government had stated that there was no proof of the existence of Lord Ram.
Govt to ask for lifting stay on dredging
Speaking on the latest development, Culture Minister Ambika Soni told TIMES NOW that the Government had decided that the Shipping Ministry headed by the DMK’s T R Baalu would be responsible for readying the affidavit asking for a vacation of the stay on dredging work.
Commenting on this, TIMES NOW’s Political and Economy Editor Navika Kumar said this decision effectively kept the Congress’ important ally the DMK which has been pressing for the project, happy while at the same not giving any political ammunition to the BJP with questions on the existence of Lord Ram or the nature of the Rama Sethu, manmade or otherwise.
“DMK has obviously put its foot down and got its way – the Shipping Ministry will ready the affidavit to be filed next week. Soni did not go into the details of the affidavit, however sources say the Congress is trying to appease the DMK while trying to anticipate criticism from the BJP – clearly a tightrope walk for the UPA and Congress. The affidavit will ask for a vacation of the stay on dredging given after the Lord Ram controversy and the series of PILS filed afterwards. It will not question the existence of Lord Ram like its predecessor,” said Kumar.
The CCPA is leaving matters of faith and the prudence of tampering with the Rama Sethu, for the Supreme Court to decide on.
The Government will likely argue in its affidavit that the Rama Sethu is almost 30 kms long whereas the area in which the dredging is expecetd to interfere with it spans just just 300-400 metres – hence dredging should be allowed to begin with some minor realignments.
This would suffice for the DMK which feels pressured to show some progress on the Sethusamudram project to its votebank.
The exact contents of the affiavit will only be known on March 5. If the SC passes the ball back into the Government’s court, it may decided to buy time and  hand over investigation of the Sethu area to the Archaeological Survey of India which would take months to submit a detailed report on the nature of the Sethu, Navika Kumar observed. Whatever the moves, the Government is sure to navigate with caution.

http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=6201

Affidavit approved, UPA to go ahead with Setu project

CNN-IBN (28 Feb. 2008)

SETU ISSUE: UPA is ready to consider an alternate alignment that would not affect the structure.

New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs has approved a new affidavit on Ram Setu. The Government is seeking to lift the stay on the construction of the controversial project off the Tamil Nadu coastline.

The affidavit will be filed in Supreme Court on March 5. Sources have told CNN-IBN that the Government wants the project to go ahead, something which the DMK — a key ally of the Government — has been demanding for some time now.

However, the UPA has been more cautious this time around. It says there is no available scientific evidence to prove that Ram Setu is a man-made structure but adds that the Archaeological Survey of India doesn’t have the expertise to either support to contradict this conclusion.

The affidavit also says that the legend of Lord Ram in literature, philosophy and religious sentiment occupies a significant place in the psyche of a large segment of Indian society.

Significantly, the Government is also ready to consider an alternate alignment that would not affect the structure. The Government wants work on the project to start in November should the Supreme Court give its go ahead.

The views of the Culture Ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India on the historical and cultural aspects of the case also have been taken note of.

In the first affidavit which was filed by the centre on the sethusamundram project (and later withdrawn) the Centre had made the following controversial statements:

• Ram Setu is not a manmade structure, but a natural formation made up of shoals
• Valmiki’s Ramayan and Ramcharitmanas are mythological texts and they cannot be reiled upon
• Ram Setu is at best a case of disputed mythology and not a matter of historical importance

Sethusamudram Project

The Sethusamudram Project was originally conceived by a British commander of the Indian Marine, A D Taylor, in 1860. And while he may have been inspired by the Suez Canal at that time, nearly one and a half centuries later, India’s decision to revive his abandoned dream project will have very little similarity to the vastly profitable Suez Canal or Panama Canal.

At least that’s what this study done by a group of researchers led by Jacob John and Sudarshan Rodriguez claims.

“What we find is that the project has based its economic rationale only on distance saved for coastal shipping which is the highest which is 22 hours and the time saved is 22 hours,” said senior research associate Sudarshan Rodriguez from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment.

But Rodriguez says for ships coming from Europe and Africa, the time saved is only 30 per cent of what is claimed by the project. From Aden time saved is just 8-12 hours. From Mauritius ships will actually lose time.

“The tariff for this project is based on the savings from,” said Rodriguez.

Coastal shipping saying that 50 per cent of time saved will be the tariff charged. So for a vessel which is around 20,000 Dead Weight Tons (DWT) we find that the savings by using the canal will be around $18,000.

“So ideally tariff then would be $9000. However the savings for a ship coming from Aden is only $4000. So if a ship from Aden is using the canal they are losing $5000,” said Rodriguez.

This study also found that 70 per cent of shipping traffic in the Indian Ocean are big shipping vessels like oil tankers and bulk carriers. So it becomes next to impossible for them to navigate this narrow channel.

Captain Balakrishnan, a retired Indian Navy frigate commander who’s done a parallel study says that ships would go around Sri Lanka rather than have to go through a canal with draught restrictions and with a need for a pilot to embark and disembark from the ship.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/affidavit-approved-upa-to-go-ahead-with-setu-project/60059-3.html

Let SC decide on Sethu: Cong
28 Feb, 2008, 0343 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: Even as the UPA’s top leadership gears up to decide the Centre’s stand on the Sethusamudram issue in the affidavit to be submitted to the SC shortly, the Congress has made it clear that it wants ‘development’ and ‘people’s sensitivities’ to go hand-in-hand. It has also added that a final decision will have to be taken by the SC, setting the tone for the government’s stand on the political controversy.
The party’s search for a middle path on the contentious issue comes in the wake of its ally, DMK’s, insistence on not putting the work on the ship channel project on hold. The project, when completed, will cut through a portion of the Adam’s bridge or Ram Sethu.
This has raised the hackles of the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits. The BJP has lumped the Sethusamudram decision with the government’s withdrawn affidavit in the SC — about there being no historical evidence that the characters in the Ramayana existed — and the Congress worried over losing votes to the Opposition party’s ‘Hindu’ plank.
Party spokesperson Manish Tewari, articulating the Congress’ stand on the issue in response to questions from mediapersons in Parliament, said: “The effort is to try and find a way so that both development and sensitivities (of people) can be taken care of”. He also said that ultimately the apex court would have to decide on the matter.

The Congress has so far been focusing on NDA’s role in getting the project sanctioned and also their role in selecting the alignment for the project.
It has talked of the matter being sub judice and even earlier left it to the SC to decide on the matter. Party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan has even said that the Congress-led UPA will keep in mind ‘public opinion’ on the subject. However, the party is now veering closer to Union culture minister Ambika Soni’s stand on the issue by factoring in ‘people’s sensitivities’.
Ms Soni has been at loggerheads with DMK’s shipping minister T R Baalu over what the government affidavit, to be submitted in court on March 5, should say. She has been opposed to Congress taking a decision on the matter that will ‘alienate Hindu voters’ and said that the Archeological Survey of India cannot take a definite view on whether the Ram Sethu can be declared a ‘site of national importance’ without undertaking a ‘survey’.
Those who agree with her say that such a stand when expressed in court will help putting off an immediate decision on the matter. However, with the DMK insisting that the government ask the Supreme Court to vacate its stay order on dredging near Adam’s Bridge, the issue has become a sticking point in Congress-DMK relations.
Mr Baalu, in reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, said that the project can be operational by November 2008 depending on SC clearance to it.
This is the stand that the DMK is sticking to at the moment. This signals that that the party and its minister are factoring in the apex court’s stand on the issue. In the months leading up to the next general elections, this could create discord between the Congress-DMK but it does seem to be threatening the alliance at the moment.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Let_SC_decide_on_Sethu_Cong/articleshow/2821221.cms

Setu: bucking affidavit, buck-passing. Will SC cook the hot potato?

Setu: bucking affidavit, buck-passing. Will SC cook the hot potato? Sethusamudram project can be operational by Nov. if SC okays it (The Hindu, 28 Feb. 2008) New Delhi (PTI): The Sethusamudram ship canal project could become operational by November this year depending on clearance by the Supreme Court, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. He said the government had constituted a committee of eminent person on October 5, 2007 with the terms of reference to invite suggestions and objections if any from all concerned persons in the project. The minister said the committee had submitted its report to the government on November 29, 2007. The project was approved by the government in May 2005. However, pursuant to orders passed by the Supreme Court on September 14, 2007, dredging work at Adam’s Bridge area had been suspended. The committee was formed pursuant to the submissions made before the Supreme Court by the Government Counsel on September 14 2007, in respect of certain transferred cases and writ petitions relating to the project. Yesterday, the government had finalised a draft affidavit on the controversial issue aimed at addressing the concerns of key constituent DMK without hurting Hindu sentiments. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200802271757.htm   Sethu project: CCPA to meet on Thursday New Delhi (PTI) The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) will meet on Thursday to take a final decision on the affidavit to be filed by the Government in the Supreme Court on the controversial Setusamudram issue. “The Government is taking the views of everybody. Whatever will be filed will be the collective view of the Government,” Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni told reporters here on Wednesday. She said the CCPA, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will meet here to take a final decision on the affidavit. At the CCPA meeting on Tuesday, the Government finalised a draft affidavit on the controversial project aimed at addressing the concerns of key constituent DMK without hurting Hindu sentiments. A draft affidavit was considered at the meeting. Sources said the new affidavit, for which the apex court has given time till next month for filing, would be “secular” in nature without disturbing the proposed alignment of the shipping project in the Palk Straits. Unlike the last time when the government referred to issues like Lord Ram in the affidavit that created a controversy, the present one would consciously avoid any such references. Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu and Soni are reportedly at loggerheads over the project and the GoM headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was unable to reach a meeting point. While the Shipping Ministry wants to go ahead with the project, Soni has been insisting on a detailed archaeological survey as per international norms before taking any decision on the project which is being opposed by Hindu groups. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200802280339.htm  Congress in a bind over Setu Statesman News Service
NEW DELHI, Feb. 27: The Congress leadership continues to be in double bind over the contentious Sethusamudram ship canal project issue, trying hard to take into account the unrelenting pro-project demands of its key UPA ally, the DMK, without hurting Hindu sentiments. This balancing act is to be reflected by the Manmohan Singh government’s affidavit before the Supreme Court, even as the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) will meet again tomorrow to finalise the affidavit to be filed in the court by 5 March when the case again comes up for hearing. Yesterday, the CCPA, headed by the PM, had firmed up the government’s draft affidavit and stand to be taken before the apex court, which would reportedly reconcile the government’s pro-project plea with politically-correct pitch about people’s religious sentiments while leaving the issue to be determined by the court in the larger interest of society. In an election year, the Congress leadership could barely afford to upset religious sensitivities that might trigger any religion-based polarisation against the party. On the other hand, its dilemma also stems from the fact that it could not turn a blind eye to the DMK’s staunch advocacy for the project. The ambitious ship channel project off Tamil Nadu coast, proposed to link India with Sri Lanka, is mired in controversy over a tiny portion of its current alignment cutting through Adam’s Bridge, which is also known as Ram Sethu ~ an undersea mythical bridge believed by some quarters, including the Sangh Parivar, to be the Sethu, as depicted in the epic Ramayana, built by Lord Ram with the help of his simian warriors to reach Lanka to rescue Sita from the Kind Ravana. The Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the project on various grounds. Quoting various technical and scientific studies, the government has maintained that Ram Sethu is a “natural formation” and not a “man-made structure”, but this time round it will steer clear of its last year’s bungling when an ASI affidavit had questioned the very historicity of Ram’s existence to debunk such claims by various Hindu groups. Sharp differences have, cropped up between the Congress and the DMK and even within the Congress. After getting her hands singed by the controversy, the culture minister Mrs Ambika Soni has become extremely cautious.http://thestatesman.org/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=192801  Cong to choose middle path on Sethu
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi (Pioneer, Feb. 28, 2008)
Walking the political tightrope on Sethusamudram issue, which has been a bone of contention between the Congress and its UPA ally DMK, the former said on Wednesday that the Government would strike a balance between emotional sensitivities and development, giving the first indication that there could be a possibility of a realignment of the project.              A day after the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) discussed the draft affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court by the first week of March, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said: “The next date of hearing on the matter in the Supreme Court is March 5 and the Government will try to reconcile these two imperatives and see that a way is found so that both development and emotional sensitivities are taken care of.” The draft affidavit was circulated in the CCPA and a copy was given to allies, including DMK’s TR Baalu, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. According to top Congress sources, a copy has also been sent to DMK chief M Karunanidhi. The UPA’s southern ally has been firm in putting pressure on the Government to go ahead with the project. While the DMK chief had triggered a major controversy by questioning the existence of Lord Ram, Baalu has repeatedly announced that the project would be completed by November 2008. Incidentally, when Karunanidhi was hounded by his political rivals for his diatribe against Lord Ram, his party had dropped hints it may not have objection to realigning the canal. Sources pointed out that if the Congress has its way it would want to postpone the issue till the next elections lest it should give the Opposition BJP an emotive issue. But the DMK has a lot at stake in Tamil Nadu with AIADMK opposing the project and party supremo J Jayalalithaa filing a petition in Supreme Court seeking to declare Ram Setu as an ancient monument. With the Congress indicating that a midway would have to be found between sensitivities and development, a new dimension has been added. A source said: “If DMK keeps on putting pressure, we could consider a realignment, which could keep everyone happy.” The Government is also trying its best to lob the ball in the Supreme Court. Speaking to mediapersons Tewari said: “he Government is a respondent before the court and it will put forth its point of view when the next date of hearing comes. But finally it is for the Supreme Court to take a decision on it,” he said. http://dailypioneer.com/indexn12.asp?main_variable=front%5Fpage&file_name=story2%2Etxt&counter_img=2  Summary Central Government gasping ! Sharp differences of view among ministers ! To ask for more time from Supreme Court or to ask for vacating the stay order on any Setu channel project work  on Ram Setu? Antony and some other ministers opined that political repercussions will be serious. Pranab Mukherjee said that since BJP cleared the project, that party cannot expect any political gain by opposing the project now. Two senior ministers said more time is needed to study the draft affidavit. On Thursday (28 Feb. 2007) Cabinet committee meeting may adjourn deliberations without any decision. k ராமர் பால பிரச்னையில் மத்திய அரசு திணறல்! அமைச்சர்களிடையே கருத்து வேறுபாடு (Dinamalar, Tamil daily, 28 Feb. 2008) புதுடில்லி :ராமர் பால பிரச்னையில் அமைச்சர்களிடையே கருத்து வேறுபாடுகள் எழுந்துள்ளதால், முடிவெடுக்க முடியாமல் மத்திய அரசு திணறி வருகிறது.சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட் விதித்த தடையை விலக்கக் கோருவதா அல்லது புதிய மனு தாக்கல் செய்வதா அல்லது மேலும் சில வாரங்கள் அவகாசம் கேட்பதா? என, பிரதமர் தலைமையில் இன்று நடக்கும் அமைச்சரவை கூட்டத்தில் முடிவாகலாம்.ராமர் பாலத்தை சிதைத்து சேது சமுத்திர திட்டத்தை நிறைவேற்றக் கூடாது என வலியுறுத்தி, சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் வழக்கு தொடரப்பட்டது. வழக்கை விசாரித்த சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட், ராமர் பாலம் உள்ள ஆதம்ஸ் பகுதியில் பணிகளை மேற்கொள்ள இடைக்கால தடை விதித்தது. இவ்வழக்கு தொடர்பாக சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் மத்திய அரசு தாக்கல் செய்த மனுவில், ராமர் இருக்கிறாரா என்பதே சந்தேகமாக உள்ளது என தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டதால், பெரிய அளவில் பிரச்னையானது. இதையடுத்து, திருத்தியமைக்கப்பட்ட புதிய மனுவை மீண்டும் தாக்கல் செய்வதாக சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் மத்திய அரசு உறுதி அளித்தது. மத்திய அரசு தரப்பில் தாக்கல் செய்யப் போகும் புதிய மனு எப்படி இருக்க வேண்டுமென்பதில், பெரிய குழப்பமும், சிக்கலும் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. இந்த விவகாரத்தில், மத்திய அமைச்சர்கள் மத்தியிலேயே கருத்து வேறுபாடுகள் எழுந்துள்ளதால், முடிவு எடுக்க முடியாமல், பல வாரங்களாக இழுபறி நீடிக்கிறது. ரயில்வே பட்ஜெட் தாக்கல் செய்யப்பட்ட அன்று மதியம், பிரதமர் மன்மோகன் சிங் தலைமையில் பார்லிமென்ட் அலுவலகத்தில் மத்திய அமைச்சர்கள் பிரணாப் முகர்ஜி, சிதம்பரம், சிவராஜ் பாட்டீல், பாலு, அந்தோணி, கபில்சிபல், பரத்வாஜ் மற்றும் அம்பிகா சோனி ஆகியோர் பங்கேற்ற ஆலோசனைக் கூட்டம் நடைபெற்றது.அப்போது, அரசு தரப்பில் சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் தாக்கல் செய்யப்படப் போகும் புதிய மனு பற்றிய விவரங்களை முழுமையாக படிக்க வேண்டும் என, இரண்டு மூத்த அமைச்சர்கள் கேட்டுக் கொண்டனர். இதனால், கூட்டத்தில் எந்த முடிவும் எடுக்கப்படவில்லை.இந்நிலையில், சேது சமுத்திர திட்ட விவகாரம் குறித்து இறுதி முடிவு எடுக்க, பிரதமர் மன்மோகன் சிங் தலைமையில் இன்று மத்திய அமைச்சரவை கூட்டம் நடக்கிறது.சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில், புதிய மனு தாக்கல் செய்யும் விஷயத்தில் காங்கிரஸ் கட்சிக்குள் கருத்து வேறுபாடு உள்ளது. வாஜ்பாய் அரசு அனுமதித்த திட்டம் என்பதால், எல்லாரும் நினைப்பது போல ராமர் பால விவகாரத்தை கையில் எடுத்து அரசியல் லாபம் தேடி விட முடியாது என்று பிரணாப் முகர்ஜி சொல்கிறார். ஆனால், அமைச்சர் அந்தோணி உட்பட சில அமைச்சர்களோ, ராமர் பால பிரச்னையை எளிதாக எடுத்துக் கொள்ள முடியாது. அரசியல் பின்விளைவுகளை ஏற்படுத்தும் என்று கூறுகின்றனர்.ஆளாளுக்கு ஒரு கருத்தைச் சொல்லி, மூத்த அமைச்சர்கள் இப்படி மோதிக் கொண்டிருப்பதால், இன்று நடக்கும் அமைச்சரவை கூட்டத்திலும் உறுதியான முடிவு எடுக்கப்படுமோ என்பது சந்தேகமே. இது தொடர்பாக அரசு வட்டாரங்கள் கூறியதாவது: சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் தாக்கல் செய்யப்போகும் மனு குறித்து ஆராய்ந்து முடிவெடுப்பதில், அரசுக்கு மிகப்பெரிய சிக்கல் உள்ளது. அரசு அமைத்த வல்லுனர்கள் குழு ஆய்வு செய்து அளித்த அறிக்கையின் படி பார்த்தால், ஆதம்ஸ் பகுதியில் கடலுக்கடியில் மனிதனால் செய்யப்பட்ட பாலம் போன்ற அமைப்புகள் எதுவும் இல்லை என்று தான் சொல்லப்பட்டுள்ளது. இருப்பினும், ராமர் மற்றும் ராமர் பாலம் போன்ற விஷயங்கள், மக்களின் நம்பிக்கை சார்ந்த விஷயம். இவ்விஷயத்தில் முடிவெடுக்கும் அதிகாரத்தை சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டுக்கே விடுவதாகக் கூறி மத்திய அரசு ஒதுங்கிக் கொள்ளலாம்.மேலும், சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் தாக்கல் செய்யப்போகும் புதிய மனுவை, எப்போது, எந்த தேதியில் தாக்கல் செய்வது என்பதிலும் அமைச்சர்களுக்குள் கருத்து வேறுபாடு நிலவுகிறது. எனவே, இரண்டு முறை வாய்தா கேட்டது போல, இம்முறையும் வாய்தா கேட்டு, பிரச்னையை முடிந்த வரை இழுக்கலாம். அதே நேரத்தில், சுப்ரீம் கோர்ட்டில் தற்போதுள்ள இடைக்கால தடையை நீக்கும்படி கேட்டு கோரிக்கை வைக்க வேண்டும் என்றும் மற்றொரு தரப்பில் யோசனை தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.எனவே, இன்றைய கூட்டத்தில் ஏற்கனவே உள்ள தடையை விலக்கும்படி கோருவதா அல்லது புதிய மனு தாக்கல் செய்வதா அல்லது மேலும் சில வாரங்கள் கால அவகாசம் கேட்பதா என்பதில் ஏதாவது ஒன்று முடிவாகலாம் அல்லது முடிவே எடுக்கப்படாமல் ஒத்தி வைக்கப்படலாம்.இவ்வாறு அரசு வட்டாரங்கள் தெரிவித்தன. http://dinamalar.com/2008FEB28/frontpage-news.asp?newsid=1

Rama Setu: recurrent tsunamis of the past

Here is a remarkable scientific study by Prof. RK Gartia of Manipur University providing evidence for recurring tsunamis in historical and pre-historical periods near the Rama Setu region and along the Tamil nadu coastline from Mahabalipuram. This should provide for caution in undertaking projects like the project disaster called Setu mid-ocean channel and without examing the need for adequate tsunami protection walls along the vulnerable spots (as has been done on Japan coastline). The nation’s coastline should be safeguarded at all costs to save life and property of coastal/marine people of Bharatam.

Kalyanaraman 27 Feb. 2008

LUMINESCENCE DATING OF SOME HISTORICAL / PRE-HISTORICAL NATURAL HAZARDS OF INDIA by R.K. GARTIA*

Department of Physics, Manipur University, Canchipur, Imphal – 795 003 (INDIA)

Abstract (The full paper can be downloaded from http://hinduthought.googlepages.com/pasttsunamis.pdf )

The Indian sub-continent is characterized by host of natural hazards like earthquake, tsunami, cyclones, floods, landslides / mudflows. It is necessary to build-up a database of historical / pre-historical natural hazards for planning scenarios for emergency response to various them. In short, there is a vast scope of providing chronology to hazardous events by using known techniques of dating including luminescence dating which has an excellent window span down from few hundred years to one hundred thousand years. In this work we report the dates of some historical / pre-historical natural hazards of India. In particular we focus on three kinds of natural hazards namely, earthquakes, tsunami, and mudflows. For example of earthquake we cover a historical earthquake of Manipur that created two massive fissures at Kumbi, 25 Km from the state capital, Imphal. For pre-historical ones, we cover Assam-Shillong area known for its highest levels of seismicity in India. We demonstrate the evidence of a paleo-tsunami that devastated Mahabalipuram near Chennai. Incidentally, Mahabalipuram was badly affected by the great tsunami of 26^th Dec 2004. Finally, luminescence dating technique has been applied to some historical / pre-historical mudflows of Manipur. A recent mudflow on 10^th July 2004 damaged more than 90 houses, block National Highway-39, the life-line of Manipur for more than a fort-night.

“Proceedings of the third International Conference on Luminescence and its Applications” published by Macmillan India Ltd., 2008 as Advanced Research Series (ISBN 10: 0230-63468-0 ; ISBN 13: 978-0230-63468-8)

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* E-mail: <rkgartia@yahoo.co.in>

Setu: excerpts from Centre’s draft affidavit

UPA’s draft affidavit wants SC to decide on Sethu

AMITAV RANJAN (Indian Express)

Posted online: Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 0842 hrs IST

New Delhi, February 26:

Singed by the political firestorm over its last affidavit on Ram Sethu in which it questioned Ram’s existence, the UPA Government plans to pass the buck to the Supreme Court and take a dramatically different tack, as per its draft affidavit scheduled to be submitted to the Supreme Court early next month.

The affidavit of the Archaeological Survey of India and the Culture Ministry — that came up before the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs today — has cited scientific studies reinforcing the Government’s earlier stand that the structure isn’t man-made but has gone on to say that the ASI doesn’t have the expertise “either to support or contradict” this conclusion.

“It is thus prayed,” the affidavit concludes, “that the Court may pass appropriate orders/directions to all concerned which it may deem fit in larger interest of the society.”

Not just this, the affidavit quotes provisions of the Ancient Monuments & Archaeological Sites and Remains Act to state that “even a natural formation (existing for not less than 100 years) of historical, archaeological or artistic interest can be declared an ancient monument/site of national importance.” It, however, adds the rider that “without any formal archaeological study, no definite conclusion can be drawn.”

Now the Centre has to balance this affidavit with the demand made by ally DMK which has called for highlighting the role of the NDA in the project.

The draft affidavit, a copy of which has been obtained by The Indian Express, also elaborates on the “historical” and “artistic interest.”

“…Popular beliefs and traditions about the Ramayan and Ram Sethu have an antiquity of at least 1,500 years in the country” and of “400-500 years” in Tamil Nadu, the affidavit says. “the legend of Ram, in literature, philosophy and in religious sentiment occupies a significant place in the psyche of a larger segment of Indian society, and indeed, extends beyond our boundaries to a number of other countries.”

It adds: “The Ramlila, which is an oral and cultural tradition, has found place, as a proclamation of 2005, in a UNESCO list of 90 outstanding examples of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. Several events associated with the legend are celebrated as festivals and even declared as gazetted holidays. The ideal of Ram Rajya, espoused by Mahatma Gandhi, is a value system to strive for.”

Contrast this with the earlier statement in the affidavit that touched off a controversy and forced the Government to backtrack: “…contents of the Valmiki Ramayana, the Ramcharitamanas by Tulsidas and other mythological texts, which admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature… cannot be said to be historical record to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters, or the occurrence of the events, depicted therein.”

On the issue of the Sethu being an “ancient monument” based on “available archaeologically relevant scientific data”, the ASI has washed its hands of saying it had not undertaken any archaeological investigation to decide on it.

On the findings of the Geological Survey of India, the Space Application Centre and the National Institute of Ocean Technology that the formation was not a man-made structure, the affidavit says: “…the related disciplines are not within the purview of the ASI and as such the ASI does not have the required expertise either to support or contradict the conclusions derived at.”

The affidavit quotes the Committee of Eminent Persons — a panel set up by the Government — saying it considered all objections and suggestions and “found no merit in the demand to declare the structure as a monument of national importance as the structure was a “naturally-occurring formation and not man-made”. It said that only sites/structures whose existence and importance have been established were entitled for declaration as national monument.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/UPA-s-draft-affidavit-wants-SC-to-decide-on-Sethu/277658/

Setu: politicking for ’secular’ affidavit

UPA tries to bring allies on board over sethu issue

Political Bureau (Financial Express)

Posted online: Tuesday , February 26, 2008 at 2217 hrs IST

New Delhi, Feb 26 Intending to spread out possible political costs incurred while pushing ahead with the Sethusamudram project in Tamil Nadu, the UPA leadership on Tuesday sought to bring all major alliance partners into the accountability frame by seeking their views on the contentious issue.

Party leaders of all major allies were handed over a draft affidavit on the Rama Sethu issue at a meeting of the cabinet committee on political affairs (CCPA) convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday afternoon. The affidavit is to be submitted before the Supreme Court on March 5. Alliance partners have been told to give their views on the issue by Thursday.

The draft affidavit, party circles asserted, has taken the line that the Rama Sethu is not a man made structure but a natural formation. This line concurs with the stand taken by the experts committee that was set up by the government to look into whether the Sethu connecting the Indian coast and Sri Lanka is man made or not. The issue turned into a controversy after a previous affidavit filed by the culture ministry before the Supreme Court made references to existence of Lord Ram.

Earlier, a meeting of the group of ministers (GoM) headed by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee to look into the issue had failed to reach at an agreement with culture minister Ambika Soni walking out of one of the meetings. In the GoM deliberations, the shipping ministry had signaled that it wanted to go ahead with the project while Soni had insisted on detailed archaeological survey as per international norms before taking any decision on the project, opposed by the BJP.

Soni had walked out of the meeting in protest against shipping minister TR Baalu’s charge that she was coming in the way of the implementation of the Rs 2,287 crore project. The matter was finally put before the CCPA.

http://tinyurl.com/2adk3n

Setu row: Govt to steer clear of ‘faith’ issue
27 Feb 2008, 0246 hrs IST,TNN (Times of India)

NEW DELHI: The Manmohan Singh government hopes to defuse the Sethusamudram mine by arguing that evidence so far points to the Adam’s Bridge structure between Dhanuskodi and Sri Lanka not being man-made and that the alignment of the proposed shipping canal must be guided by expert opinion.
The government has found itself in a jam after its “Ram-did-not-exist” affidavit in the SC last year kicked up a political storm. This time around, it is preparing to adopt a much more cautious approach when the case next comes up in the apex court on March 5 by arguing that it was going by the “available” evidence on the Ram Setu formation.
The matter was considered by the Cabinet Committee of Political Affairs on Tuesday and while no firm decision has been arrived at, the approach of the government seems to be to leave it to the SC to decide on the petition challenging the project on grounds of “faith” rather than to commit itself to a position on this score.
Senior sources pointed out that while the petitioner had demanded a study to evaluate the nature of Ram Setu, there was no reason for government to be proactive in the matter. The government will be expected to state that it was taking forward a project initiated by the NDA and that the current “alignment no 6″ was the one found to be feasible.
While the government will argue that it is more for the technical experts to decide on the alignment of the canal.
The Tourism and Culture Ministry had already hinted that the “cultural” aspect of the controversy will need to be considered as well.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Setu_row_Govt_to_steer_clear_of_faith_issue/articleshow/2817862.cms

Draft affidavit finalised on Sethu issue

(The Hindu) New Delhi (PTI): In a balancing act, the government on Tuesay finalised a draft affidavit on the controversial Sethusamudram issue aimed at addressing the concerns of key constituent DMK without hurting Hindu sentiments.

A day after the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the issue met without any conclusion, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met on Tuesday to take a view on the affidavit to be filed before the Supreme Court.

A draft affidavit was considered at the meeting which decided to meet again after a few days allowing for all the constituent parties to consider it.

Sources said the new affidavit, for which the apex court has given time till next month for filing, would be “secular” in nature without disturbing the proposed alignment of the shipping project in the Palk Straits.

Unlike the last time when the government referred to issues like Lord Ram in the affidavit that created a controversy, the present one would consciously avoid any such references.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200802262069.htm

Sethu decision put off (Economic Times)
27 Feb, 2008, 0224 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, which met on Tuesday to finalise the Centre’s position on the Sethusamudram issue, has deferred a decision on the matter in light of sharp differences within the ruling alliance. The government has to decide on the stand it should adopt before the Supreme Court on the question of continuing with work on the ship channel.
The top leadership of the UPA is now set meet again on Thursday to take a final call on whether the government affidavit, to be submitted to the apex court in the first week of March, should ask for the vacation of the stay order on construction work of the ship channel project though the Adam’s bridge or Ram Sethu (the bridge mentioned in the epic Ramayana). The court had given the Centre four weeks to file its affidavits in the case on January 31.
The DMK is putting pressure on the Centre to complete the implementation of the project at the earliest. It has become a matter of prestige for the Dravidian outfit with opposition AIADMK opposing the project staunchly. DMK’s allies in Tamil Nadu and at the Centre, such as the PMK as well as the Congress itself, have however not shown the same enthusiasm for the move but Left parties are backing the DMK stand.
Shipping minister T R Baalu’s supporters are citing pressure from the DMK and the Left to argue that the government must ask for the Supreme Court to vacate its stay order. They are also arguing that if the government does not ask the Apex Court to vacate its stay order it would be akin to agreeing with the BJP line that it is a matter of “faith” and accepting the Opposition party’s stand on the Ram Mandir question.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Sethu_decision_put_off/articleshow/2817831.cms

UPA still divided over Sethu

(Deccan Chronicle)

Chennai, Feb 26: The ruling United Progressive Alliance remains divided over dredging for the controversial Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project even as the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met at Delhi Tuesday evening and finalised a draft affidavit for submission to the Supreme Court.

While the DMK insists on going ahead with the project, the Congress is not so keen for fear of hurting the Hindu sentiments as the present alignment threatened Rama Sethu, the legendary bridge believed to have been built by Hanuman’s monkey brigade to help Lord Rama cross over to Lanka to rescue Sita from Ravana.

Nevertheless, a source said the CCPA had now decided on a draft affidavit that would satisfy the DMK without hurting the Hindu sentiments. This would be difficult since satisfying the DMK would mean resuming the dredging along the present alignment and that is bound to ruffle the Hindu feelings—a risky proposition as five states with strong BJP presence are coming up for elections. The Congress had fared disastrously in the recent polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

The Group of Ministers  (GoM), constituted by Prime Minister Singh sometime back to tackle the Sethu issue, had met on Monday but failed to reach a consensus on the affidavit to be presented to the Supreme Court. It is well known that Shipping Minister T. R. Baalu of the DMK has been at loggerheads with Culture Minister Ambika Sonia of the Congress with regard to the alignment. The former is keen on resuming the dredging without disturbing the present alignment and Ms Soni has been insisting on having a detailed archaeological survey of an international standard before taking any decision on resuming the dredging. Otherwise, the Hindus would be upset, she reasoned.

Mr Baalu’s boss and the DMK chief minister M. Karunanidhi, in proclaiming his atheism, had caused a furore among the Hindus questioning their opposition to the SSCP and demanding to know whether Lord Rama was an engineer to have built the bridge. In which college had Rama studied his engineering, asked the DMK chief. In the process, he supplied potent ammunition for the Sangh Parivar to demolish the Congress in the Gujarat and HP polls. The Congress would not want a repeat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand.

The GoM meeting on Monday was no better than the previous session that ended sore with Ms Soni walking out, reportedly humiliated by Mr Baalu accusing her of derailing the Tamils’ dream project. Since no consensus emerged at the Monday meet, it was decided to refer the matter to the Prime Minister who in turn called the CCPA to resolve the issue, it is said.

The CCPA, according to a source, decided to pick up the draft affidavit prepared sometime back by the Cabinet Secretariat to inform the Supreme Court that an expert committee, constituted as per the court directive, had concluded that Rama Sethu, also known as the Adam’s Bridge, was a natural formation and not man-made. The head of the expert committee, Prof S. Ramachandran, vice-chancellor of the University of Madras, was handpicked by Minister Baalu.

The Supreme Court had stayed the dredging of the Rama Sethu on August 31 last year on a petition from the Janata party president and former Union Minister Dr Subramaniam Swamy, who had alleged, among other things, arbitrariness in the decision to choose the present alignment for dredging through the Rama Sethu when an expert committee had earlier recommended half-a-dozen alternative options. The government was to go back to the court with the recommendation of the Ramachandran committee, which was handed over to Mr Baalu in November last year.

On January 31, the Apex Court had granted four weeks extension to the Centre to file the affidavits (based on the expert committee report) and this deadline would expire first week of March. That explains the urgency in the UPA deliberations to evolve a consensus that would restart the Sethu project without causing too much of a damage to the Hindu vote while keeping the DMK in good humour.

http://www.deccan.com/chennaichronicle/home/homedetails.asp#UPA%20still%20divided%20over%20Sethu

Setu: Govt to go ahead with project — CCPA

Govt to go ahead with Sethu project

Sunil Prabhu

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 (New Delhi)

Under pressure from its southern allies the government on Tuesday in a draft affidavit said it wants the project to go ahead, but a final decision will be taken the day after tomorrow.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on Tuesday agreed upon a draft affidavit that says the project to dredge a shipping canal between India and Sri Lanka should go ahead without any change in alignment.

The draft also asks the court to vacate its stay on the project and dismiss a petition that said the project would harm the Ram Sethu.
According to sources, the culture ministry’s objections in the meeting were overruled because no scientific exploration has been done to establish whether the Ram Sethu is natural or manmade.

The government has to submit the affidavit in Supreme Court by March 5.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080042422&ch=2/26/2008%206:18:00%20PM

Centre plays balancing act in new Ram Setu affidavit

CNN-IBN

SETU DEBATE : The Centre is expected to submit a new affidavit on Ram Setu before the SC by March 14.

New Delhi: The Union Government has finally decided to delete the objectionable portions from the affidavit on the Ram Setu project in a move aimed at addressing the concerns of key constituent DMK without hurting Hindu sentiments.

 

The government is expected to submit the new affidavit before the Supreme Court by March 14.

 

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the government circulated a draft copy of the affidavit to its allies. The final version of the affidavit will be prepared only later this week after the Cabinet meets again.

 

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA), chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, met on Tuesday to take a view on the affidavit after the Group of Ministers on the issue failed to reach any conclusion on Monday.

 

A CCPA will meet again to consider the issue after all the constituent parties have had their say on the same.

 

Sources said the new affidavit, which needs to be filed before the apex court by next month, would be ’secular’ in nature without disturbing the proposed alignment of the shipping project in the Palk Straits.

 

Unlike the last time when the government had referred to issues like Lord Ram in the affidavit creating a controversy, the present one would consciously avoid any such references.

 

The government had been forced to withdraw the earlier affidavit, which had said that Ram was a mythical character. The government had asked the Supreme Court for an extension in the deadline to file a fresh affidavit.

http://www.ibnlive.com/printpage.php?id=59898&section_id=3

Rama Setu: GoM deadlocked, no decision yet

Deadlock over Ram Setu persists; GoM fails to take decision
25 Feb 2008, 2047 hrs IST,PTI

NEW DELHI: The deadlock over the controversial Sethusamudram project appears to persist, with a Group of Ministers (GoM) set up to resolve the issue on Monday failing to finalise the Centre’s stand on it.
“Nothing has been finalised yet. It will take some more time,” Shipping Minister T R Baalu told reporters after the meeting of the GoM headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Baalu and Culture Minister Ambika Soni are reportedly at loggerheads over the Sethusamudram project.

While the Shipping Ministry wants to go ahead with the project, Soni has been insisting on detailed archaeological survey as per international norms before taking any decision on the project which is being opposed by Hindu groups.

“I have submitted my views on the project in writing,” Soni said after the meeting.

She, however, refused to divulge any details on what transpired in the meeting that was also attended by Law Minister H R Bharadwaj, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal and Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

The Supreme Court on January 31 granted another four weeks extension to the Centre to file affidavits related to the project and these have to be filed by the first week of March.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Deadlock_over_Ram_Setu_persists_GoM_fails_to_take_decision/articleshow/2813876.cms

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080042350

Reasons for deeming Rama Setu as World Heritage Monument

Respect peoples’ sentiments, recognize Rama Setu as cultural heritage – Dr. Swamy

Dr. Swamy highlights in his statement (appended) the move to declare Majuli as a natural and cultural heritage site of the world.

So is Rama Setu a cultural heritage site, an underwater cultural heritage which needs protection under the international UNESCO convention to which India is a signatory (details given below).

Yes, Majuli is the largest river island in the world and is in the Brahmaputra river. http://www.majuli.info/majuli_island.jpg

Majuli, the largest river island in the world, is a civil sub-division of Jorhat District. It is located 20 km. off Jorhat town (Asom, India). It is a pollution free fresh water island. Total area of the island was 1250 sq.km., now it is about 650 sq.km.

Its length from east to west is about 90 km. & width from north to south is avg. 16 km. Majuli is a natural & cultural heritage site. With water bodies covering most of the areas , Majuli attracts plenty of birds both local & migratory.

About 25—26 Satras are remaining now in Majuli of which the Satras of Kamalabari, Auniati & Garmur are worth mentioning. These Satras are propagating the religious ideology of great Assamese medieval Vaisnavite Saint Sankardeva & Madhavdeva, preaching Satria culture.

http://www.majuli.info/ See also: http://www.majuli.org/

Government of India has submitted a proposal on 3 February 2004, to declare Majuli Island as World Heritage monument.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1870/

http://kalyan98.wordpress.com/2008/01/28/sc-to-jayalalithaa-approach-asi-to-declare-rama-setu-a-national-monument/

Biosphere Reserve under IUCN (The World Conservation Union) Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas

The Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve was established by the Government of India and the State of Tamil Nadu in 1989 and was the first marine protected area to be declared in South and South East Asia…The IUCN commission on National Parks and Protected Areas, with the assistance of UNEP, UNESCO and WWF, identified the Reserve as being an area of “particular concern” given its diversity and special multiple-use management status. The Reserve is among six areas chosen on the basis of its threatened status and richness in biological wealth and it is included in the action programme to save India’s protected areas for future generations. https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no29022.htm

World Heritage monuments: 22 cultural properties and 5 natural properties in India

(Map http://kalyan98.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/worldheritageproperties.gif )

The number of recorded sites on the World Heritage now stands at 812 which include both cultural and natural wonders, and endowment that is shared by all mankind and the protection of which is the concern of the entire mankind. These include 628 cultural, 160 natural and 24 mixed properties in 137 state parties. India is an active member State on the World Heritage from 1977 and has been working in close co-operation with other International agencies like ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) and ICCROM (International Centre for the study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property).

There are 27 World Heritage Properties in India out of which 22 are Cultural Properties and 5 are Natural Properties.

The natural properties are:

Chamoli: Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers national parks

Bharatpur: Keoladeo National Park

Manas: Manas Wild Life Sanctuary

Kaziranga: Kaziranga National Park

Sunderbans: Sunderbans National Park

http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs.asp

Underwater Cultural Heritage

Underwater Archaeology Wing of the Archaeological Survey of India was established in 2001.

Indiahas 7,516 km long coastline, 1197 islands and 155,889 sq. km of territorial waters and 2,013,410 sq. km exclusive economic zone. The vast water area of the country is rich in underwater cultural heritage. The importance of underwater archaeology was realized as early as in the VI five-year plan…

Adoption of “Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO in 2001 displays the global concern about the protection and management of underwater cultural heritage. UAW has initiated steps for the protection and preservation of the underwater cultural heritage…Dr. Alok Tripathi Superintending Archaeologist

Underwater Archaeology Wing Archaeological Survey of India

http://asi.nic.in/asi_underw.asp

Many monuments have been declared as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, including underwater cultural heritage sites, for example:

Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection in Panama Tubbataha Reef

Marine Park in the Philippines

Kvarken Archipelago / High Coast in Sweden/Finland

Giant’s causeway and Causeway coast in UK

Great Barrier Reef in Australia

Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System in Belize

Mont St. Michel and its bay in France

Ha Long Bay in Vietnam

Matobo Hills in Zimbabwe

US court backs Indian tribe (Navajo) to prevent desiccation of a sacred mountain in USA

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070312-1046-environment-navajos.html

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/

Dr. S. R. Rao, a pioneer in Marine Archaeology in India has written to the Govt. of India recommending that Rama Setu be declared an Underwater Cultural Heritage Monument and that ASI should undertake further exploration work.

SC should have noted that Madras HC Bench including CJ had on 19 June 2007 observed as follows:

Ancient monument

It would mean to be any monument which is very old having historic past or record. It can also be a stone, a post, a river etc. Thus in RAM SARUP VS STATE OF HARYANA (AIR 1993 PUNJAB AND HARYANA 204) a Division Bench of Punjab & Haryana High Court held that the ‘Brahm Sarovar’ is a very old historic place and it would clearly come both within the expression of ancient and historical monument, as defined in the 1958 Act…Court order: The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Union of India is directed to file a counter affidavit explaining whether any study has been undertaken by the archaeological or any other concerned department in respect of Adams Bridge/Rama Sethu and whether the said bridge can be regarded as a national monument within the meaning of the 1958 Act. (In a 11-page judgement, Madras HC summarized the evidence submitted on Rama Setu).

STATEMENT OF DR.SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY, PRESIDENT OF JANATA PARTY MADE IN CHENNAI ON 21.02.2008

By two suicidal moves, the UPA at the Centre and the DMK at the Tamil Nadu level have destroyed the case they have been making in favour of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP):

(i) The first argument that they had been giving is that in a secular state committed to modern progress, religious sentiment cannot be a determinant factor in decision-making by the State. The DMK has been pressing this type of argument especially hard during the last 50 years.

This argument was however sabotaged by the DMK itself when the TN Government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court in the Jallikattu issue on January 15^th this year and argued for permitting the wild bull race on the ground that the religious sentiment of the Madurai District population has to be respected. In Rama Setu matter, the religious sentiments of almost 1 billion Hindus of the nation is affected, not just two millions one district. Hence, the Rama Setu has to be protected.

(ii) Second, the Union Government has been taking the stand that Rama Setu is a ‘natural formation’ and not ‘man-made’ or constructed, and hence it is argued that the Setu cannot a heritage be or an ancient monument.

This argument has now been self-negated by the Union Government by its decision to declare the Majuli Island, a mid-river deltaic island in Assam’s Jorhat district and also to approach the UNESCO to declare the island as a “World Heritage” symbol because it is a “cultural landscape”! This destroys the ‘natural formation’ argument of the Government against Rama Setu.

Hence, my petition in the Supreme Court to save the Rama Setu is bound to succeed in the Apex Court. The SSCP is thus already “dead on arrival”.

Setu project: a debt trap, say experts

Sethu project will trap government in immeasurable debt: experts

Special Correspondent (The Hindu, Feb. 19, 2008)

They claim little attention has been paid to scientific and shipping data

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Weight restrictions and slow speed in canal offer little gain for shipping industry

Hundreds of crores of rupees will be spent annually for maintaining clear waterway

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CHENNAI: The Sethusamudram project will run the Indian government into immeasurable debt as little attention has been paid to scientific and shipping data, a panel of scientists and experts from the Coastal Action Network concluded at the release of their book on the project.

While weight restrictions and slow speed in the canal mean there is little gain for the shipping industry, hundreds of crores of rupees will be spent every year for maintaining a clear waterway against natural movement of sediment from India and Sri Lanka. This would aggravate tectonic plates in the quake-prone region, destroying sensitive ecologies and ruining the livelihoods of those dependent on fishing in the area.

Removal of natural barriers may also mean disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis, they claimed.

The panel, which included John Jacob Puthur, Commander (retired), Indian Navy; H. Balakrishnan, retired naval officer and master mariner, merchant navy; K. Gopalakrishnan, Director (retired), Geological Survey of India; R.S. Lalmohan, chairman, Conservation of Nature Trust, Nagercoil; and M. Arunachalam, Centre for Environment Sciences, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, urged the government to allow experts and the media access to the worksite to verify how much of the Rs.2,000-crore project had been completed.

“Fraudulent project”

“It is a fraudulent project,” Mr. Balakrishnan said. “As a mariner, it just does not make any nautical sense [to me].”

“When the time comes, we will come to Delhi, we will expose these anti-fisherfolk policies,” Anton Gomez, president of the National Union of Fishermen told The Hindu.

“And when elections come, we will not allow political parties into the coastline,” he said.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/19/stories/2008021953010500.htm