Jayalalithaa should approach competent authority on Ram Sethu: Supreme Court
January 28th, 2008 - 5:42 pm ICT by adminNew Delhi , Jan 28 (ANI): The Supreme Court has asked former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to approach competent authorities for declaring the Ram Sethu a monument of national heritage.
Jayalalithaa, in her petition, had sought the courts direction to authorities to take alternative routes for completing the project without demolishing the Ram Sethu.
A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Tarun Chatterjee and R V Raveendran said it was not the job of this court to decide about the status of a monument.
Hindu groups have called on the government to stop the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project, saying it will demolish the mythical bridge linking India and Sri Lanka , believed to have been built by King Ram of Ayodhya.
Opposing the 560 million dollars project, the Hindu groups claim it would destroy the 48- kilometre chain of limestone shoals that once linked Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu to Mannar in Sri Lanka .
The Sethusamudram Project will dredge a channel along a narrow strip of sea between India and Sri Lanka , reducing distances and cutting costs for freight traffic.
According to the Central Government, the sand shoals were created by sedimentation.
Dredging for the project began in 2005 and the channel — 12 metres deep, 300 metres wide and almost 90 km long — will provide a crucial link between the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar . (ANI)
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- Government plans environmental study of Sethusamudram channel - Jan 14, 2010
- CPI-M youth wing strikes for implementation of Sethusamudram canal - Feb 12, 2010
- Quickly build Sethusamudram canal, says CPI-M (Lead) - Feb 12, 2010
- New alignment of Sethusamudram not feasible, court told (Lead) - Jul 02, 2012
- India asks Sri Lanka to free fishermen - Jul 26, 2012
- New alignment of Sethusamudram not feasible, court told - Jul 02, 2012
- India hopeful fishermen captured by Sri Lanka will be released - Jul 24, 2012
- VHP rejects Governments claim that Lord Rama destroyed Ram Sethu - Jul 28, 2008
- Sethusamudram canal work will be stopped, says Rajnath Singh - Apr 20, 2009
- Government to examine shorter sea-route, sparing Ram Setu - Jul 30, 2008
Tags: ayodhya, channel 12, chatterjee, chief minister, competent authorities, competent authority, freight traffic, hindu groups, j jayalalithaa, k g balakrishnan, narrow strip, national heritage, palk bay, ram sethu, rameswaram, raveendran, sethusamudram project, ship channel, tamil nadu, tarun