Jayalalithaa asks PM to declare Ram Sethu as national monument

A day after the Supreme Court sought to know the Centre's stand on Ram Sethu, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday asked the union government to declare it a national monument without further delay.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she said her government would also separately file a counter to express its stand in this regard before the Apex Court, where the issue has been posted for further hearingon March 29.

"In view of the strong objection raised to the earlier alignment due to its archaeological, historical and cultural importance, I request you to take necessary action to communicate the views of the Government of India to the Supreme Court that it would take immediate steps for declaring the site as a National Monument without any further delay."

She noted that the Apex Court has directed the Additional Solicitor General to obtain the remarks of the Centre before Thursday on declaring the site as a national monument.

Jayalalithaa said petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court regarding the Sethu Samudram Channel Project.

"Based on the strong opposition to the earlier Alignment 6 cutting across the ancient structure, popularly known as Ram Sethu due to its immeasurable historical, archaeological and heritage value, a number of writ petitions were filed in the Madras High Court and in the Supreme Court," she said.

Jayalalithaa recalled filing a petition in 2007 praying for direction to Tuticorin Port Trust and Ministry of Culture, to declare Adam’s Bridge/Ram Sethu as a national monument.

It had also sought to take it over, preserve and maintain the same and forebear Ministry of Shipping/Surface Transport and Sethu Samudram Corporation Limited from in any manner destroying/damaging the site in the process of execution of Sethu Samudram Project.

Jayalalithaa said she would be sending her government's views on the RK Pachauri Expert Committee which was appointed by the Centre in 2008 on the directions of the Apex Court.

The Prime Minister-appointed panel, headed by Pachauri, had examined the feasibility of executing the controversial Sethusamudram project through Dhanuskodi instead of routing it through Rama Sethu.

http://www.opennetworkers.info/profiles/blogs/rameshwaram-tale-of-lord-sri