TN to file separate Ram Sethu plea
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Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa who had moved the Supreme Court in 2007 seeking to declare Ram Sethu as a national monument, said on Wednesday the state government would file a separate counter in support of the plea in the apex court.
Ms Jayalalithaa disclosed this while writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, requesting him to take steps for declaring Ram Sethu as a national monument in view of the strong objection raised to the earlier alignment due to its archaeological, historical and cultural importance.
She said a number of writ petitions had been filed in Madras high court and Supreme Court, seeking to declare Ram Sethu as national monument, due to its ‘immeasurable historical, archeological and heritage value,’ and wanted the Centre to express its view in support of the pleas before the Supreme court. The court on Tuesday directed the additional solicitor general to obtain the remarks of the Centre.
She said the summary of the report of the Dr R. K. Pachauri committee constituted in 2008 has been forwarded to the state government for its remarks. “The state government has examined the report and a letter is being sent separately to the ministry of shipping communicating the views of the state government,” Ms Jayalalithaa said.
The Rs 24,700 crore Sethusamudram channel project (SSCP) was launched in May 2005 but the Supreme Court stayed the dredging work in the Adam’s bridge area in 2007, while allowing work in the Palk Strait area. The full the work was stopped in July 2009. By then, the Centre had spent about Rs 800 crores on the project on dredging.
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