BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday warned the NDA government against reviving the UPA's Rs 25,000 crore Sethusamudram channel project, which was meant to make Palk Strait navigable for bigger ships to save them from circling Sri Lanka while travelling from India's one coast to the other. 

A bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice Arun Misra appeared more than happy to adjourn hearing in the controversial case when additional solicitor general Pinky Anand said the Centre needed time to respond to the issue raised in the case over the years. Justice Misra also recused from hearing the matter. 

The court by an interim order in 2007 had stayed dredging of Ram Sethu or Adam's Bridge on petitioners' plea that it had immense religious value for Hindus. 

Swamy told the bench that he had no objection to the Centre filing a fresh affidavit. "But the Centre cannot change its stand. It had declared on the floor of Parliament that it was going to scrap the project," Swamy said as the SC adjourned hearing in the matter. 

On December 1, 2014, shipping minister Pon Radhakrishnan had told Rajya Sabha, "Government of India is keen to explore the possibility of alternative route for SSCP through Pamban Pass by avoiding the Ram Sethu/Adam's Bridge area and RITES has been entrusted with the work of undertaking pre-feasibility study on that area. RITES has submitted the report." 

RITES had said, "The major constraint in the Pamban channel is the narrow and shallow channel between the two coral reef islands of Pullivasal and Krusadai. This narrow channel is silted up due to trap of long shore sediment transport between Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait. The channel width at this location is about 125 metres and the depths are 2.13 metres below Chart Datum (CD). Only during high tide this critical channel can be negotiated. 

"The bathymetric surveys carried out have revealed that the depths available under the Pamban bridge are 5.5 to 5.6 metres. Without dredging in the proximity of the Pamban bridge, the draft of the vessel can be increased to 4.5 metres with a depth of 5.5 metres by deepening and widening the narrow approach channel to Pamban between the coral islands," it had said.

(Times of India)