New Delhi: Adam’s bridge or Ram Setu, the issue rocked the Lok Sabha on Wednesday as BJP members refused to transact business in the House when the government said that there was no archaeological evidence of any ancient construction.
The House was adjourned for the day soon after it reassembled at 2 pm when the BJP members trooped into the well of the House protesting against the Sethusamudram project amid objections raised from the Treasury benches.
The project envisages dredging of ship channels to connect the Gulf of Mannar and Bay of Bengal through the Palk Straits which cuts the distance of ships moving between the east and west coasts by 424 nautical miles and saves up to 30 hours of sailing time.
The BJP deputy leader in the House, V K Malhotra, said the alignment of the project would destroy the Ram Setu and such a move would hurt Hindu sentiments. Provoked by Malhotra’s statement, Congress, Left and DMK members shouted at the Opposition benches saying there is no Ram Setu, it is only Adam’s bridge.
The House was adjourned by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee as the furor over the calling attention motion became unmanageable.
Making a statement on the matter after the House reassembled at 2 pm, shipping and road transport minister T R Baalu said the "work on the project has been progressing uninterruptedly as it is of great significance from national defense and security point of view."
Baalu said after various surveys and studies, government had arrived at an opinion that there was no Ram Setu, and that it was only Adam’s bridge as mentioned by the Britishers and as projected in a NASA study. He said 14.56 million cubic metres has been already dredged since the prime minister inaugurated the project on July 2, 2005.
Recalling that a decision on the project was taken by the previous NDA regime, Baalu said,"The broad principles and parameters of the channel alignment thus considered by the NDA government is the present alignment of the channel."
Refuting the charges made by Malhotra, Baalu said none of the studies and investigations conducted so far has produced any tangible scientific evidence of any man-made structure in the area. He also clarified that the alignment of Sethusamudram Ship Channel does not contain any UNESCO declared World Heritage site or any government declared monument of national importance.
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