Sethu Project!
September 25, 2007
I appreciate that every Government wants to be secular. However in the name of secularism or technology or science or logical reasoning, questioning the fundamental belief of one religious sect is not acceptable [existence of bridge built by Ram]. I am not asking them to worship the Gods but a mere courtesy to respect others belief!
In the name of technology progress why to shatter people’s belief. Can’t they listen and act properly? There are studies which show this Sethu project may not be feasible; why can’t they act on that? What are the alternate routes they have looked into?
My humble request to the concerned, respect others feelings and beliefs. This is an earnest request because ‘Veterans’ are ruling the state and they have accomplished lot of things. They have brought lot of improvements into the system. TN is growing and they take care of common man. I don’t want this project to be a black mark for them by spoiling and destroying the beliefs of the people.
Will they listen?
September 25, 2007 at 6:29 am
Well…. If people like us oppose this… they will have to listen… where will they go
September 25, 2007 at 7:01 am
Srivaths,
You are expecting courtesy and respect for common beliefs from a breed of politicians who:
1) believe that their version of Indian history is infallible.
2) claim to be staunchly atheistic, but are very eager to appease the muslim and christian votes by providing reservations and not questioning their religious faith equally.
Spineless, shall we say? Futility. *sigh*
September 25, 2007 at 7:01 am
Nova – That is point. Will everybody come out of their shell and talk about it?
September 25, 2007 at 7:08 am
hi srivats….. the following article elaborate the feasibility of the project.
i too oppose the canal,not for religious reason but on economic and environmental grounds. Its rationale is more political than economic. It will become one more public sector white elephant.
The Palk Straits, between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, are so shallow that only small boats can pass through. So, east-west coastal ships have to go around Sri Lanka. So do ships from Europe and Africa to the east coast.
Sethusamundaram will be a furrow dredged in the sea-bed of the Straits, deep enough to accommodate ships of 20,000 DWT. The canal will save ships both distance (saving fuel) and time (saving daily charges for chartering ships). So, it should be able to charge ships for passage, like the Suez and Panama Canals. This revenue is supposed to make the project economic.
The project is a political gift for Tamil Nadu. It will hugely help Tuticorin port, which today can receive ships only from the west, and not the east. It will improve the viability of existing and planned minor ports in the state. Hence, Tamils call the canal a 150-year dream about to come true (it was first proposed around 1850).
Dreams are costless, but canals are not. Project documents claim that the canal will save ships 36 hours of time and 570 nautical miles of distance. But a recent study by Jacob John in Economic and Political Weekly exposes these claims as highly exaggerated. Up to 70% of the traffic through the canal is projected to come from Europe and Africa. And John estimates that the time saving from Europe to Kolkata will be only eight hours, and the distance saving 215 nautical miles. From Africa to Kolkata, the time taken will actually increase by 3.5 hours (being piloted through the canal is a slow process), and distance reduced will be only 70 nautical miles.
John calculates that ships could lose up to $4,992 per passage if they are charged the tariff laid down in project documents. In which case ships will find it cheaper to go round Sri Lanka. If the government cuts the proposed tariff to attract traffic, John estimates that the project’s rate of return could fall to an uneconomic 2.5%. I expect that the project will also suffer cost overruns in capital and maintenance dredging, and hence be in the red.
The canal is supposed to be ready
by November 2008, not far off. So why has the project not been able to sign up potential users? The finance minister has appealed to private shipping companies to participate in a project that will benefit them, yet no shipping company has come forward. The economics of the canal look much too dicey.
The Suez and Panama Canals save ships thousands of miles, and that makes them profitable. Sethusamundaram is not remotely comparable. It is designed for small ships (the project documents talk of 20,000 DWT), whereas the Panama Canal takes ships of up to 65,000 DWT and Suez takes ships up to 150,000 DWT.
The Suez and Panama canals were dug through land corridors, and once dug stayed dug — they did not face sand inundation from the sea. However, Sethusamundaram will be a furrow in the sea-bed, at the constant mercy of currents bearing sand.
The government’s environmental assessment has cleared the project on ecological grounds. Yet, much of that assessment was not about sand incursion, but about fears of possible damage to coral reefs, coastal erosion, oil spills, and changes in ocean salinity and temperature. Besides, the ecological studies were done from the Indian side of the Palk Straits, and not the Sri Lankan side, and so are technically incomplete.
My own major fear is not so much that the project will ruin the environment, but that the environment will ruin the project. I fear that ocean currents will keep dumping fresh sand in the furrow of the canal. The Palk Straits are shallow not by accident but because sand-bearing currents have made them so. Combating the full force of nature is perilous, expensive and sometimes impossible.
The project envisages maintenance dredging of two million cubic metres per year, infinitely more than required by the Suez and Panama canals. Jacob suspects (and so do i) that actual maintenance dredging will far exceed project projections, rendering the canal uneconomic. An extreme event (like the 2005 tsunami) could dump enough sand to close down the canal.
Finally, global shipping is shifting to ever-larger vessels. Bulk carriers and tankers often exceed 200,000 DWT, and those under 60,000 DWT are being phased out as uneconomic. Old general cargo vessels have been replaced by container ships, which started small but now exceed 35,000 DWT, and may soon touch 75,000 DWT. Such vessels cannot use the canal.
So, Sethusamundaram will be unsuitable for the large vessels of the 21st century. It is a 150-year old idea for 150-year old ships. That may be its epitaph.
September 25, 2007 at 7:11 am
@ Ashwin: Your point well taken. I wish they sense it and act on our request.
@ R.Muthukumar – Thanks for a lot for making my job easier. My next article was to be on feasibility. Very useful. Thanks
September 25, 2007 at 7:46 am
[...] by R.Muthukumar — September 25, 2007 @ 7:08 am | [...]
September 25, 2007 at 10:36 am
It was an excellent read… that comment by Muthukumar.
No, I don’t think they will see sense at all. This issue is heading in to some major trouble and the proposed bandh on Oct 01, 2007 is enough to show some of the hardheadedness of the so-called rationalists.
Not working for a day to speed up the Sethusamudram work.
You see it happen only here in India… here in TamilNadu!!
Morons, IMO.
September 25, 2007 at 10:58 am
Dude.. The problem is that this man wants to appease a section of anti-Hindu society by his persistence to this project. The thing is that he is confident that he can get away unscathed insulting the religious beleifs of Hindus and at the same time giving the satisfaction to such anti-hindu forces. He has a zilch concern about the economic prosperity and all intention that is underlying is ‘votebank politics’. Let him face the Devil’s advocate once and u’ll know whats up with him.
Monitors beware !
If he can declare that he doesnt need the votes from the section of society he detests, i’d accept he is principled. In the current state he is worse than spineless and beware – your blog could attract stones from the party cader
September 25, 2007 at 2:44 pm
@ Balaji:
Not sure if the comment was meant for me or Srivaths.
Fact is, me is very close to thaatha. Stone’s throw. For real.
Keep your friends close. Your enemies… closer, right?
September 25, 2007 at 3:00 pm
@ Ashwin : Haha
September 25, 2007 at 3:38 pm
i cant understand y these politicians are so much worried about SRI RAMA’s existence(when there are lot of things to be worried about)…It is not proper for people of such stature to hurt others feelings and beliefs.
September 26, 2007 at 3:43 am
“Karunanidhi also asserted that his remarks on Ram Setu will not cost the party its Hindu votes.”
Some confidence that man has. I suppose then the ’spineless’ people would be ‘us’, if we don’t protest this arrogant call for a bandh and of course, the strange theories MK espouses.
September 26, 2007 at 9:11 am
I hope people become more sensitive to religious issues esp politicians… dont know when will that happen… will take years i guess..
September 27, 2007 at 12:11 pm
enna vatsa…..u r too humble in ur request…presume u r torn between ur theist beleifs and amdiration for the DMK supremo…
September 28, 2007 at 4:56 pm
We are ruled by shameless people in the centre as well as @ the centre who keep changing their religion as and when required for political benefits. I think we are helpless in this regard. This is a traggic irony.
September 28, 2007 at 4:58 pm
We are ruled by shameless people in the centre as well as @ the state who keep changing their religion as and when required for political benefits. I think we are helpless in this regard. This is a tragic irony that we keep voting for those twats again and again.
September 29, 2007 at 3:48 am
@Lakshman – Yes, I am torn. I admire him for his language skills and how he used that key skill to come up in life. When I see, he is using the same God given skill the other way, I feel bad!
@B Kumar – We have to find a choice. If we are not satisfied we need to find someone who will satisfy our needs and wants. Until we find, as you said we will continue to vote for….