Ram Setu samudram project-the disaster project of all times
What is Setu Samudram Project?
SSCP (SetuSamudram shipping canal project) was approved by the Government of India in 2006 and work was in underway near Kodand Ram Temple before it was halted by the honorable Supreme Court in 2007. Aim of this project was to link Palk Gulf to Gulf Mennar by constructing a shipping canal through Rameshwaram Island. This would have allowed boats and ships to take a shortcut to eastern shores of India through the passage between India and Sri Lanka without encircling Sri Lanka, as is being done currently. According to the report, this project would benefit local shipping companies by reducing the travel time and fuel cost. As per the report, up to 210 million rupees would be saved every year by shipping companies.
Why SSCP is a flawed project?
1) Project time and cost-benefit estimates were exaggerated. This channel will save only 1-2 hours of original time confirmed by navy captain Capt. Balakrishnan. Cost of perpetual dredging (maintenance after the project completion to keep the channel stable) was not included in the project cost estimates. This seriously questions the serious economics of the entire project.
2) To find out the time savings, let us consider the distance between Kolkata to Tuticorin circling Sri Lanka which is 1227 nautical miles. Going through the canal, the distance shall be 1098 nm i.e 120 nm less. Going at an average speed of 12 knots per hour, time taken to reach Kolkata from tuticoran circling sri lanka would be 102 hrs and 15 mins. If you choose to go through the canal, you need to reduce your speed by 40-50% percent. Calculating at a speed of 6 knots per hour for 120 nm plus 2 hours delay because of reducing and increasing speed, new time estimate is 100 hrs 30 mins. Is 1-2 hour of time worth saving for 2,400 crores and risking millions of human life and animals?
Proposed 12 meter deep channel
3) To reduce operating costs, most companies transport huge volumes of good ranging from 60,000 tonnes to 1 million tones. A 60,000 tonnes carrier ship needs at least 18 meters of depth and hence, cannot take this shorter route. Now a day, no companies afford to transport their goods in small tankers or small ships and so, this project is totally unviable since most of the ships will go through the present route instead of following the newly proposed shorter route. If I was the owner of any shipping company or a captain of the ship, than I would have went only to have a look at lord Ram Bridge and then would have return back to the original route encircling sri lanka. Only a fool will decide to waste money onto the new route.
4) Also, Profit of this project is severely flawed. According to report, more than 7,000 ships will pass through this channel by 2025. But for 12 meters of depth, as reasoned in 3rd point, no more than 1000 ships would pass through this canal. Out of these 1000 ships, most of the ships would be coal carriers supplying coal to Tuticorin thermal power plant. By 2025, this thermal plant would be non functional because of the use of nuclear technology. Despite of this, Even if we assume 1000 ships traveling through this canal, Government need to charge Rs 5 million per ship to have profit. So, if the shipping companies choose to pay this amount, they will be able to save fuel of 3 million and will be at a net loss of Rs.2 million. Shipping companies are too smart to calculate their profits and hence would abandon this new route to go through the older route. This would lead very less ships to follow the new course, thus causing more loss to the government. In short, government is wasting 2,400 crores of tax payer’s money.
Ram setu-Lord Ram Bridge
5) Government compares Sethu Samudram Canal to Panama Canal and Suez Canal but this comparison is very naive since both the Suez and panama canals save thousands of nautical miles and fuel worth millions of dollars while the Sethu Samudram will save only hundred miles and will result in net loss of money as demonstrated above.
6) Even the Indian navy is not much interested in SCCP because even if it is completed, depth of the canal would be 36 feet which will allow only small and medium size navy ships to pass through it.
7) GSI (Geological Survey of India) was not involved in the project layout/designs otherwise it would have been rejected in the planning phase itself since the area is an intense heat flow zone, surrounded by tectonic fault lines. Tsunami expert Prof. Tad Murty warned “I like this Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP) but there is a flaw. The entrance to the channel should be re-oriented towards the eastern side. Otherwise, there is a chance that it may create a deepwater route for another devastating tsunami. This may cause huge destruction in Kerala”.
Ram-(the protector) with Neel-The architect of Ram setu
8) In the above context, nature magazine warned of another tsunami more destructive than the earlier one likely to affect 60 to 70 million people along the coast of Bay of Bengal. Protest and warning by scientist should have urged government to suspend all the commenced work immediately till the safety measures suggested by the scientists were incorporated into the project. Kalyanaram, an independent scientist quoted ''If the bridge is breached for Sethusamudram, the waters would directly gush into the entire peninsular region beyond Dhanushkodi and the coastline in Kerala to Konkan regions in Karnataka-Goa and Maharashtra and the devastation would be incalculable,''
9) “Dredging in areas around ram setu may activate the heat zones, comparable to Himalayan hot springs, thus risking the life of the peoples along the coastlines to natural calamities” said Dr. S. Badrinarayanan and Dr. K. Gopalakrishnan, former director of Geological Survey of India.
10) Setu samudram project would wash away most of the precious mineral resources on the shores of the project. One of the mineral is thorium, which is believed to be the future of Indian nuclear research. “Ocean currents have been depositing minerals on India’s southern coastline because of the Ram Sethu,” said Kalyanaram. This point was discussed in details in my preceding article Why scientists want to protect ram setu
11) Breeding grounds of over 3,600 unique aquatic animals will be destroyed by the turbulent waters coming through the channel from Bay of Bengal. Gulf of mannar and Kilakkarai has 24 bioreserve national parks and so, this project falls under the wild life zone and therefore, this project should not get approval from the wild life ministry.
Marine animals which will go extinct
12) More than 100 crores of sankhas(a cultural and religious item) is obtained from this coastal areas annually. This project will greatly impact the future procurement of sankhas and associated livelihood in this coastal areas.
13) Fisherman of rameshwaram opposed Sethusamudram project as the scientists and social activists believe the construction of the bridge and thereafter the traffic of the ships will drive away all the fish and hence would affect the livelihood of millions of fishermen. In 2007, they even claimed the absence of fishes because of the ongoing work of Sethusamudram project.
14) Government must have dug out the past history to acknowledge the fact that the work of dredging ram sethu was started by the British government in 1938 but was later abandoned due to high cost and less profits. In 1956, while submitted a report on construction of a port at Tuticorin, A Ramaswamy Mudaliar said “We are convinced that the Adam’s Bridge site is unsuitable for the following reasons: First: The shifting Sandbanks in this area present a far more formidable problem-both at the stage of construction and during maintenance-than the sand dunes on the island site. Secondly: The approaches to a channel would be far too open with no possibility of construction of protective works. A channel at this site-even if it can be made and maintained (which is unlikely)- would entail definite navigational hazard. Thirdly: The channel would be bordering on the Sethusamudram Medial Line. In these circumstances we have no doubt, whatever that the junction between the two seas should be affected by a Canal; and the idea of cutting a passage in the sea through Adam’s Bridge should be abandoned.”
Underwater Coral formation below bridge
Government officers involved in SSCP should be prosecuted
1) Ambassador O.P. Gupta quoted the civil governments officers involved in this project to be prosecuted in a criminal offence. He said “A project commissioned without study of likely public casualties due to tsunamis, is a punishable offence under section 304(A) of the Indian Penal Code. Officials who approved the present alignment can be personally & individually prosecuted even after retirement.”
2) Failure of government officers (along the coastline area) to warn the government against this plans, amounts to criminal negligence. NO tsunami or cyclone safety measures were incorporated in the final approved design. This project risks the life of the people along the coastal area of Tamilnadu and Kerala.
3) Not Following the wild life Act and Law of the Sea act, 1958, make this project an illegal one. Moreover, the official of the environmental ministry who cleared this project should be prosecuted.
4) Under pressure from the US government, mid ocean channel was created within seven days to form an international waters boundary along the project area. This violates the Indira Gandhi declaration in 1974, which states this area to be historic waters shared only between India and sri lanka under UN Law of the Sea 1958. Declaring it as international waters under US pressure is an insult to nation sovereignty, survival and security. Also, to maintain good neighborly relations, sri lankan government should have been informed or approached before taking such a decision.
Is SCCP UPA biggest scam?
According to Hindu activists and BJP, this project is a big corruption scam of Tamil nadu and central government. India is the only country to use thorium as the nuclear fuel. This has triggered a wave of worry to other hostile nations who will have difficulty in selling uranium as a nuclear fuel since it is very radioactive and dangerous compared to thorium. Moreover, it will also help India becoming a super power. So, such nations have bribed some ministers in the government to execute setu samudram project for the following reasons:
1) Smuggling of sands containing the nuclear fuel by calling it as the construction waste material
2) Preventing future accumulation of thorium as ram setu acts as the sieve in formation of thorium.
3) Expose the sand beaches having rich minerals deposits so that india is deprived of all the mineral deposits when the next tsunami devastates and washes away all the minerals of the coastal areas confirmed by experts.
4) Preventing India in becoming an independent nuclear nation and keeping it dependent on other nuclear nations for its nuclear needs.
Save Ram setu
Under the Ancient Monuments and Protection Act, 1958, following suggestions were made:
1) UNESCO be advised to declare Rama Sethu as Underwater Cultural Heritage and World Heritage
2) Rama Sethu should be declared marine life heritage since it hosts 3,600 unique aquatic resources.
3) Ram setu is the standing monument representing Bharatam in Survey of India logo: Aasetu himachalam. Survey of india, 1767, attested Ram Sethu as the boundary of Bharatam spanning Hindumaha-sagaram and Himalayas.
4) Sethubandhana, Ramayana episodes, Bharat and ram episode to be introduced as study resources in all schools and education institutions
5) Team of scientist and gelogost to be setup to take various safety measures by reviewing all projects and in protection from tsunami so as to secure the life of the people in the coastline areas
6) Rama Sethu should not be a part of international waters citing its rich mineral deposits and cultural heritage.
Sad irony of India
On one side, we have businessman who protects the Indian heritage by buying the sword of tipu sultan or letters of Mahatma Gandhi auctioned in other countries and on the other hand, we have politicians who deceptively destroys our cultural heritage.
Dr. Lal who wrote a book on dwaraka discovery listed out 1000 artifacts relating to existence of lord Krishna. Only 9 crores were needed from the government to construct a transparent tube till the sea-bed which will allow normal citizens to see the wondrous remains of dwaraka. 9 crores were not granted by government for this project but 2500 crores were granted for destroying our cultural heritage (Ram setu).
Even the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi died uttering the name of Lord Rama. According to Indian priests, Mahatma Gandhi did so because in his last breadth, he saw lord ram as the supreme god, which is in accordance to bhagavad gita, which states that “Karmic person realizes the ultimate truth and attain god on his spiritual death”
Policeman guarding the statue of Mahatma Gandhi having inscription (Hey Ram) in Hindi
Conclusion:
Hindus are known for their tolerance but sadly, this tolerance had made us so weak that the foreign forces are finding new ways to destroy the rich cultural heritage of India. If we remain quiet like we are now, then that day will not be far when Hinduism will become a minority religion and gradually an extinct religion like Zoroastrian, Sumerians, Egyptians etc.
Stand up for your identity and protect the Indian culture from destruction.
Jai Hind