Govt considering alternative to Sethu project: Swamy (-India)

Janata Party President Dr Subramanian Swamy today claimed that the Tuticorin Port Trust's proposal for facilitating faster container movement between the port and Bangalore indicated that the government was seriously considering alternative proposals to the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel project as suggested by the Supreme Court.

In this regard, the TPT had proposed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Containter Corporation of India (CCI), he told reporters here.

Swamy also said the government would set up a committee to find out whehter Ram Sethu or Adam's Bridge was a monument. The Committee would take at least three years for a detailed survey of the area before coming to a conclusion.

The supreme court, hearing a batch of petitions, including one by Swamy, against demolition of the Ram Sethu, had asked the government to explore alternative routes for implementation of the project.

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Lankan expert says Sethu project can harm island's marine life

Amidst the raging controversy in India over Sethusamudram, an expert here has warned that the project can harm Sri Lanka's coastal and marine life.

"The Sethusamudram project can cause problems to Sri Lanka's coastal and marine life," Malith Mendis, a member of the Sri Lankan delegation to study the project has said.

Mendis, the CEO of Lanka Hydraulic Institute, said if the project goes ahead, there will be considerable changes in the currents and that can affect marine life.

Mendis told the Daily Mirror newspaper that Sri Lankan authorities have investigated more into the matter than their Indian counterparts and are concerned about the project.

"While it can be expected to create changes in the sea currents in the region, the effect on biodiversity is unpredictable," he said.

Meanwhile, the Asian Tribune newspaper claimed the project would pose a threat to the livelihood of fishermen.

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