Sethusamudram project not to disrespect Hindu sentiments: Govt

New Delhi, Mar 20 (UNI) The government today assured a delegation of Hindu religious leaders that under no circumstances it will disrespect or disregard the religious sentiments of the people in the implementation of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel project.

This assurance was given by Minister of Shipping, Road Transport&Highways T R Baalu Minister of State for Personnel Suresh Pachauri to a delegation on behalf of their Holiness Shanakracharyas and Hindu Acharyas led by Swami Paramatmananda Saraswati, Secretary of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha.

The two ministers discussed and shared with the delegation various aspects about the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project, with special reference to the Adam's Bridge area in the light of state-of-the art scientific investigations carried out by the project authorities. It was informed that, based on these studies, project authorities have not found any evidence of presence of a man-made structure in the proposed alignment.

Without prejudice to the on-going legal proceedings on the issue, the two ministers met the delegation to give due regard to the socio-cultural sentiments of the Hindu society, an official release said here.

Mr Baalu gave a brief account of the utmost care taken by the Project authorities and the Ministry in finalisation of the alignment of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project. He also informed that the detailed investigations, including borehole studies and other geological studies undertaken by the specialist agencies have clearly brought out the fact that the Adam's Bridge is a series of sand shoals created by sedimentation over a period of time.

He said the present alignment has been finalised after detailed deliberations and taking into consideration the location of existing temples in and around Rameshwaram as well as the National Marine Park in the Gulf of Mannar.

Mr N K Raghupathy, Chairman and Managing Director of the Sethusamudram Corporation Limited, gave a brief presentation on the technical studies like bathymetry studies, sub-bottom profiling, vibro-coring and borehole studies undertaken along and outside the final Channel alignment.

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