DMK to hold public meetings to press for Sethu project

Chennai: Slamming the Jayalalithaa Government for opposing the Sethusamudram project, DMK today announced state-wide public meetings on May 15 to press the Centre for speedily completing the project.

"Not realising that this project, once implemented, would help the State to grow economically and to further prosper, the AIADMK regime by opposing it has become an anti-people government", DMK said in a statement. It said the meetings were being organised to press the centre to complete the project, 50 per cent of works on it had already been completed. Recalling that party President M Karunanidhi had taken up with several Prime Ministers both in person and through letters the need to implement the project, the party said, the Rs 2,400 crore project, inaugurated in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, got stalled due to some "retrograde forces". DMK also flayed the AIADMK for going against the project after having included in its election manifesto in 2004 and 2006 and indulging in "opportunistic politics". Karunanidhi had yesterday alleged the AIADMK Government was opposing the project only because it did not want his party to take credit for the multi-million rupee initiative. Sethusamudram project is aimed at constructing a shorter navigational route around India`s southern tip by breaching the Ram Sethu, mythological bridge built by Lord Rama`s army of monkeys and bears to reach Ravana`s kingdom Lanka. The project has been put on hold after petitions were filed in the Supreme Court opposing demolition of Ram Sethu. Tamil Nadu Government has pleaded with the Supreme Court that the project be scrapped as it would adversely affect marine biodiversity and the Centre be directed to declare Ram Sethu as a national monument. PTI