Dear Editor,
The Supreme Court's directive to the Central Govt to revert to the drawing board is a veneration of the opinion expressed by Scientists, Sociologists and Environmentalists associated with various NGOs and independent thinkers of this Country. The line between infra-structural development and the inevitable environmental destruction could be considered as very thin. The equilibrium should only be altered with utmost caution and that too in the rarest of rare cases, where the nation and its humanity in general are benefited. In any case, definitely not for coalition politics with myopic vision and unfounded sentiments.
This matter was submitted at appropriate occasions by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), the pioneer environmental organization in several interventions from as early as 2004. During the Public Hearings, the undersigned was wooed and heckled by the specially recruited shouting brigades of the Project and no attention was given to the points raised by the Scientists. Several of our opinions, suggestions, proposals and Submissions remain unanswered even today. Its representatives had several close calls and narrowly escaped getting roughed up at Public Hearings by Police as well as from local goondas!
One should remember that several alignments of the canal were considered from 1948 onwards. However, no recent studies apparently were carried out in the sea bottom of Palk Bay / GOM or even in the Ramar Sethu area to focus on sediment transport pattern, bathymetry, search for historical artefacts / coral colonies and even to understand the unusual growth of the sea bottom. Some of the residents of Ramewaram island are still awaiting the four and half decades old relief amount from the Govt when their property was damaged in the tidal wave / tsunami of Dec 1964 ! If at all the Project should go ahead avoiding Ramr Sethu, the only viable alternative would be the 'Alignment No. 5', dividing the Rameswaram island in to two parts creating an unwanted divide among the poor fisher folk by pushing them further in to difficulties in order to satisfy the hard core Canal promoters with many hidden agendas !

GVK Unnithan thru email gvkunnithan@hotmail.com