What damage a paragraph can make. The Centre may have told the Supreme Court that it will review the “entire matter” of the Sethusamudram project and will be open to any alternative suggestion but experts on the ground say that’s not going to be easy.

They suggest that it’s difficult to find any alternative to the present “alignment” (the canal’s route) which cuts through the Ram Sethu, believed in Ramayana to be the bridge built by Lord Rama’s allies to help him reach Lanka and rescue Sita.

While six alignments were proposed through the years by various committees, five were found to be non-feasible by NEERI which conducted the Environment Impact Assessment study based on issues of environment, fishermen’s livelihood and easy navigation.

NEERI found that while Alignment No. 1 cut through the mainland, Alignment 2 cut through the famous Rameshwaram temple which draws thousands of pilgrims every year from all over the country. Alignment 3 passed east of Rameshwaram temple but cut through the second famous temple in Rameswaram, the Kothandaramaswamy temple. So this too was found to be

not feasible.

According to port experts, Alignment 4, suggested by the BJP, would cut through the core of the eco-sensitive Marine Bio-park in the Palk Bay. “Not just that, this alignment was found to affect fishermen most and was also least practical from the navigation point of view as it was against the direction of wind, wave and current,” pointed out a senior officer who did not wish to be named.

... contd.