Won’t not touch Ram Sethu; will explore alternative route, Centre tells SC

Won’t not touch Ram Sethu; will explore alternative route, Centre tells SC

What has happened?

The Union government told the Supreme Court that it will not touch the Ram Sethu, an underwater coral formation in the Indian Ocean referred in mythology Ramayana, for the implementation of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project.

Why?

The government said cutting a route through the Ram Sethu, also known as Adam’s Bridge, would be a cause of “socio-economic disadvantage”.

Affidavit by the Shipping Ministry

• This is part of a one-page affidavit filed by the Shipping Ministry almost four years after the Supreme Court asked the government to “come clean” on the choice of the project’s route and whether it would damage the Ram Sethu.
• The affidavit said instead of Alignment 6 (the route which cuts through the Ram Sethu), the government would explore an “alternative”.

National monument

The court also wanted to know the government’s position on whether the ancient Ram Sethu could be declared a national monument.