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Sethu Samudram ship canal project

106K views 341 replies 97 participants last post by  rj_anntny 
#1 ·
The Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project conceived more than a century ago is expected to take off

The project was originally conceived in 1860 by the British Commander A.D. Taylor of the Indian Marines. Thereafter, almost once in every decade a committee or a prominent expert made a recommendation in favour of the construction of the canal. In 1955, for the first time since Independence, the Government of India constituted the Sethusamudram Project Committee under Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliyar to examine the feasibility and desirability of connecting the Gulf of Mannar with Palk Bay and its impact on the port of Tuticorin. The committee recommended that the canal project be linked to the Tuticorin Harbour Project and that both projects be undertaken simultaneously. The cost of the joint project was estimated at Rs 9.98 crore. The Sethusamudram Project Committee report was, however, put in cold storage. In 1963, the government sanctioned only the Tuticorin project.

The government's enthusiasm to set up committees did not wane. Successive committees revised the cost of the project upwards. In 1994, the Tamil Nadu government appointed the Pallavan Transport Consultancy Services Ltd in Chennai to appraise and revalidate a 1983 report. The new report, submitted in March 1996, further revised the project cost to Rs 760 crore for 31 feet draft.

Hope on the project was revived in January 1999 when Defence Minister George Fernandes announced that the government would complete the digging of the Sethu Samudram channel in three years. This was backed by the Prime Minister's assurance that his government was committed to the project. Indeed, the government took a concrete step towards the execution of the project when Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, in his Budget 2000-01, allocated Rs 4.8 crore for a feasibility study of the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project. Recently, following a directive from the Union Ministry of Shipping, the Tuticorin Port Trust invited tenders for undertaking just such a feasibility-cum-environment study for the project.

The "Sethusamudram Ship Canal" project proposes linking the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar on the east coast of India by creating a shipping canal through Rameswaram Island, which would provide a continuous navigable sea route around the Indian Peninsula. The total cost of the techno-economic viability and EIA study is expected to be around Rs 6 crore. The project involves digging a 44.9 nautical-mile long channel linking the Palk Strait with the Gulf of Mannar.

After the canal is constructed, the distance between Cape Comorin and Chennai would be reduced to 402 nautical miles from the present 755. Further, the canal would considerably reduce the distance between the east and the west coasts with travelling time coming down by 36 hours. It will also avoid circumnavigation of ships around Sri Lanka, thereby resulting in savings in fuel costs and standing charges associated with extra period of voyages. The canal would help make coastal shipping operations from the east coast to the west coast and vice-versa more competitive.

The greatest beneficiary of the project will be Tuticorin harbour, which has the potential to transform into a transhipment hub such as those in Singapore and Colombo. The project will also help in the development of the proposed 13 minor ports in Tamil Nadu.

On the flipside, the project is likely to face stiff opposition from fishermen and environmentalists, who have already raising their collective voice against it. The protests may not deter the government from going ahead with the project as the gains outweigh the losses.
 
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#91 ·
One more thing - we would do justice to the message of the Ramayana (of doing virtually impossible tasks for the right cause) if we constructed a modern version of Rama's bridge across the Palk straits. It would hugely benefit the economies of the region, and would be an engineering marvel as well. It is a feasible project, if there is will on both sides of the straits. Sri Lanka proposed it - but for various reasons, the TN politicians are opposed to it. I am hopeful that economics will eventually make it inevitable. Here's hoping that I live to see a modern day bridge connecting India and Sri Lanka. And I would be the first to campaign to name it after Lord Rama.
 
#119 ·
Just before the 1983 Sri Lankan carnage, there was a cartoon published in Srilankan Tamil media (veerakesari, I think) showing a bridge across Palk Straits connecting Tamil Nadu and Jaffna. This was used extensively to fan the hatred among the Sinhalese people saying that Jaffna will be independent or part of India. Then IPKF entered and the whole scenerio changed.

I do not think that Sri Lankans are serious about this proposal. But it will certainly boost TN economy, if it happens.
 
#92 ·
i agree with you. i am not particularly opposed to this project. but ever since UPA came to power, they have done all sorts of things which can very easily be classified as anti-Hindu under the Union Minister T.R. Baalu. their statements have been so vitriolic that if such statements were given against Islam or Muslims, he would have risked a Rs 50 crore price money on his head. also, one must realize that this attitude of the UPA, of doing everything for their own glory and not entertaining opposition will cost it big time. the current political mess of the country with this bridge, the nuke deal etc etc is a direct result of a very peculiar tendency of Congresswallahs and UPA in general to make it look like they've done it all themselves.

i bet this bridge issue would have not come this far had TR Baalu or somebody clarified the specs of the project and assured the other side that this isn't going to do anything against the religion. instead, from the word go, Baalu has been making statements which have only antagonized the BJP, RSS, and those opposing it. it has gone so far that even those who are educated and understand the economic consequences of the project are also hesitant now b/c of the overwhelming tendency of DMK and their Central representative to undermine Hindu sentiments and antagonize them.
 
#93 ·
As I said, every party to this issue has its own agenda and not necessarily aligned fully with what is in the best interests of the people.

The area where the Sethu Samudram project is going to come up is currently infested with smugglers, LTTE gun runners etc. Due to the shallow waters, the coast guard and navy are unable to ply anything but small patrol crafts there. Once the SSC comes up, they will be able to patrol the canal with ships that can carry helicopters (and of course the small patrol boats that are currently being used too). With better monitoring of the waters and with constant sea traffic along the channel, there are security benefits of the project too.
 
#96 ·
shockwave: sorry for that. you sounded really serious in that post. and yes, when they find a sunken city around Gujarat, they'll name it Atlantis for sure....b/c naming it Dwaraka will be communal Hindu chauvinism.

Paddington, that was sarcasm. and yes you did fix it.
 
#100 · (Edited)
What a pity? A developmental project has been hijacked by the 'parivar'
again to play on the emotions of both educated and uneducated people. People who initiate these dirty trcks know, what Karl Marx said while dealing with Religion and Ecnomics.

According to Marx, religion is an expression of material realities and economic injustice. Thus, problems in religion are ultimately problems in society. Religion is not the disease, but merely a symptom. It is used by Oppressors to make people feel better about the distress they experience due to being poor and exploited. This is the origin of his comment that "Religion is the Opium of the Masses"
Now a sizable section of Indian society will be kept drowsy till next election.

When the project is completed, a huge quantum of Coal from Orissa will reach Tuticorin a day earlier at a cheaper cost. Same with Naphtha and Copper ore to **** and Sterlite Industries. **** produces 4000 MT of Fertilizers daily and has to be moved to the Rice bowl of TN across the Palk Strait. Tata's will produce 100000 MT of TiO2 and needed to be moved to Orissa coast. TN has divided their 13 districts in such a way that they have access to Bay of Bengal. There exists a huge opportunity to build Minor ports for every dist like Gujarat to transport all essentials like Rice,Oil,Fertilizers and finished goods to major ports. TN is planning to build a major Container Transhipment deep sea Port at Colechel to attract World's largest Logistics companies. Hence Containers from Kolkotta,Paradeep,Vizag and Chennai can reach Colechel faster. Then Hinterland development will automatically happen. DMK is not a dumb Party ruling TN for so many years. They have great Vision.

Last week Malta born Psychologist Dr Edward De Bono, the inventor of Six Hats Theory and Lateral Thinking was in India to offer Thinking Techniques to improve bottom lines to Indian Corporates. He is a Consultant to Coca Cola,Accenture and Ericsson. As usual an Indian wanted to feel HIGH and asked "How Creative are Indians?"


Bono replied, " In my limited interactions,I find Indians are argumentative.(Read Amirtya Sen's book). Argument is a primitive way of discussion-not constructive one at all.

Anyway,

Fresh alignment hogs limelight again for SSSC project first mooted in 1860

http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/20/stories/2007092060221100.htm
 
#102 ·
What a pity? A developmental project has been hijacked by the 'parivar'
again to play on the emotions of both educated and uneducated people. People who initiate these dirty trcks know, what Karl Marx said while dealing with Religion and Ecnomics.



Now a sizable section of Indian society will be kept drowsy till next election.

When the project is completed, a huge quantum of Coal from Orissa will reach Tuticorin a day earlier at a cheaper cost. Same with Naphtha and Copper ore to **** and Sterlite Industries. **** produces 4000 MT of Fertilizers daily and has to be moved to the Rice bowl of TN across the Palk Strait. Tata's will produce 100000 MT of TiO2 and needed to be moved to Orissa coast. TN has divided their 13 districts in such a way that they have access to Bay of Bengal. There exists a huge opportunity to build Minor ports for every dist like Gujarat to transport all essentials like Rice,Oil,Fertilizers and finished goods to major ports. TN is planning to build a major Container Transhipment deep sea Port at Colechel to attract World's largest Logistics companies. Hence Containers from Kolkotta,Paradeep,Vizag and Chennai can reach Colechel faster. Then Hinterland development will automatically happen. DMK is not a dumb Party ruling TN for so many years. They have great Vision.

Last week Malta born Psychologist Dr Edward De Bono, the inventor of Six Hats Theory and Lateral Thinking was in India to offer Thinking Techniques to improve bottom lines to Indian Corporates. He is a Consultant to Coca Cola,Accenture and Ericsson. As usual an Indian wanted to feel HIGH and asked "How Creative are Indians?"


Bono replied, " In my limited interactions,I find Indians are argumentative.(Read Amirtya Sen's book). Argument is a primitive way of discussion-not constructive one at all.

Anyway,

Fresh alignment hogs limelight again for SSSC project first mooted in 1860

http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/20/stories/2007092060221100.htm


disagree with you on a lot of things especially how you think of Marx and his ideology. but will save it for later. gotta go for now.
 
#105 ·
Leo_R: you were talking of Marx's ideology. I am not going to post those long posts anymore. waste of time. i have only one question for you: do you agree with Marx's economic policies and support the implementation of those policies in India and elsewhere? if you answer is No, then there is scope for discussion. if it's yes, then i give up. end of the argument.
 
#108 ·
If I said I live at the intersection of Clarke Road and Davis Road in Richards Town and take Kensington Road to reach my office on Murphy Road, most people would not believe that I am talking about Bangalore!
 
#111 ·
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2378322.cms

"From the limited interactions I've had, I find Indians very argumentative," says Dr Edward De Bono. "Argument is a very primitive way of discussion. In contrast, Americans are creative and have a 'go getter' attitude. The Chinese have not started thinking creatively but the Japanese are slowly shifting from logic based thinking to creative thinking. French think they are the most creative. But in fact, they are not!," he told ET on the sidelines of an Indiatimes seminar.
However just because he used the term 'argumentative' doesn't necessarily mean he is referring to Amartya Sen's book. The article doesn't specify that or make a link. Not sure though.
 
#112 ·
BJP and Congress have now become strange bed fellows. Congress is feeding the Child as well as pinching its bottom. They are trying their best to buy time still next election assuming they will win an election without the project and vice-versa. Last week a fellow from Coast guard made a funny observation.Hope the Defence ministry will show its note sent to the planning commission.

A few years ago a protest was organised in Srilanka against this project. The theme was...

The organisers of the protest further said that the project will damage the harbours in Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee as the many international shipping lines will operate through the Sedusamudram canal covering the South Indian harbours in Kerala and Tamil Nadu saving their time limits to cruise in the South East Asian waters.
Military Aspect of Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP)- a view

http://www.geocities.com/tamiltribune/05/1002.html
 
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#115 ·
To Saurabh85: Its primitive to not bring religion into India's political scheme. As far as I know, the basis of Indian civilization and progress is structured on Hinduism(or other religious values) alone. As far as the "monkey" comment goes: not everything written in The Text was meant to be taken literally.

^^^^ Definitely agree with you there. I was only trying to say that religion/superstition should not come in the way of economic progress of the country even if it means hurting the religious sentiments of a few people. After all money is what will feed the stomachs of our poor and not antiquated beliefs and superstitions. As far as the sethu project goes, considering construction has already started I am sure the govt. would have done its homework and worked out the economic benefits etc before embarking on a project like this.
 
#122 ·
One-third of Sethusamudram Canal complete

Adam's Bridge report submitted

The overall completion of the Sethusamudram Ship Canal project currently stands at around 33 per cent, a senior official of Sethusamudram Corporation Ltd, the project implementing agency, told Projectmonitor.
 
#126 ·
I remember reading an article on the Sethusamudram project by Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar of "Swaminomics" fame, a leading columnist about how economically unfeasible this idea is considering the fact that large amount of dredging is required to protect the project after its completion and also the environmental damage that it might cause..... DMK might have overlooked these consequences....... This argument should in no way be linked to "Tamil Pride"
 
#130 ·
SWAMINOMICS
150-year dream for 150-year old ships
23 Sep 2007, 0000 hrs IST,Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar

Religion and history do not mix well. I shrug my shoulders at those opposing the Sethusamunda-ram canal because it will damage the remains of the bridge that Ram’s army used in the Ramayana.

Now, i too oppose the canal, but on economic and environmental grounds. Its rationale is more political than economic. It will become one more public sector white elephant.

The Palk Straits, between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, are so shallow that only small boats can pass through. So, east-west coastal ships have to go around Sri Lanka. So do ships from Europe and Africa to the east coast.

Sethusamundaram will be a furrow dredged in the sea-bed of the Straits, deep enough to accommodate ships of 20,000 DWT. The canal will save ships both distance (saving fuel) and time (saving daily charges for chartering ships). So, it should be able to charge ships for passage, like the Suez and Panama Canals. This revenue is supposed to make the project economic.

The project is a political gift for Tamil Nadu. It will hugely help Tuticorin port, which today can receive ships only from the west, and not the east. It will improve the viability of existing and planned minor ports in the state. Hence, Tamils call the canal a 150-year dream about to come true (it was first proposed around 1850).

Dreams are costless, but canals are not. Project documents claim that the canal will save ships 36 hours of time and 570 nautical miles of distance. But a recent study by Jacob John in Economic and Political Weekly exposes these claims as highly exaggerated. Up to 70% of the traffic through the canal is projected to come from Europe and Africa. And John estimates that the time saving from Europe to Kolkata will be only eight hours, and the distance saving 215 nautical miles. From Africa to Kolkata, the time taken will actually increase by 3.5 hours (being piloted through the canal is a slow process), and distance reduced will be only 70 nautical miles.

John calculates that ships could lose up to $4,992 per passage if they are charged the tariff laid down in project documents. In which case ships will find it cheaper to go round Sri Lanka. If the government cuts the proposed tariff to attract traffic, John estimates that the project’s rate of return could fall to an uneconomic 2.5%. I expect that the project will also suffer cost overruns in capital and maintenance dredging, and hence be in the red.

The canal is supposed to be ready by November 2008, not far off. So why has the project not been able to sign up potential users? The finance minister has appealed to private shipping companies to participate in a project that will benefit them, yet no shipping company has come forward. The economics of the canal look much too dicey.

The Suez and Panama Canals save ships thousands of miles, and that makes them profitable. Sethusamundaram is not remotely comparable. It is designed for small ships (the project documents talk of 20,000 DWT), whereas the Panama Canal takes ships of up to 65,000 DWT and Suez takes ships up to 150,000 DWT.

The Suez and Panama canals were dug through land corridors, and once dug stayed dug - they did not face sand inundation from the sea. However, Sethusamundaram will be a furrow in the sea-bed, at the constant mercy of currents bearing sand.

The government’s environmental assessment has cleared the project on ecological grounds. Yet, much of that assessment was not about sand incursion, but about fears of possible damage to coral reefs, coastal erosion, oil spills, and changes in ocean salinity and temperature. Besides, the ecological studies were done from the Indian side of the Palk Straits, and not the Sri Lankan side, and so are technically incomplete.

My own major fear is not so much that the project will ruin the environment, but that the environment will ruin the project. I fear that ocean currents will keep dumping fresh sand in the furrow of the canal. The Palk Straits are shallow not by accident but because sand-bearing currents have made them so. Combating the full force of nature is perilous, expensive and sometimes impossible.

The project envisages maintenance dredging of two million cubic metres per year, infinitely more than required by the Suez and Panama canals. Jacob suspects (and so do i) that actual maintenance dredging will far exceed project projections, rendering the canal uneconomic. An extreme event (like the 2005 tsunami) could dump enough sand to close down the canal.

Finally, global shipping is shifting to ever-larger vessels. Bulk carriers and tankers often exceed 200,000 DWT, and those under 60,000 DWT are being phased out as uneconomic. Old general cargo vessels have been replaced by container ships, which started small but now exceed 35,000 DWT, and may soon touch 75,000 DWT. Such vessels cannot use the canal.

So, Sethusamundaram will be unsuitable for the large vessels of the 21st century. It is a 150-year old idea for 150-year old ships. That may be its epitaph.
 
#132 ·
CCPA approves Sethusamudram project affidavit

New Delhi (PTI): Overcoming differences, the government on Thursday firmed up an affidavit on Sethusamudram project to be filed in the Supreme Court.

The 90-page affidavit, which will seek vacation of stay on the controversial project, was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.

The CCPA, headed by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was attended by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Energy Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Culture Minister Ambika Soni, Law Minister HR Bhardwaj and Shipping Minister TR Baalu among others.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200802281310.htm
 
#136 ·
If you see the Suez and the Panama canal on a map and trace the route that the ships take when not using them, you can visually see the gigantic savings these canals are making to the transit distance. Compare that to this project and we can see a lot of sense in the article posted in one of the recent posts.
 
#137 ·
Seven minor ports - part of Tamil Nadu vision plan...

Addressing the CII TN Vision Summit -2025 , The Tamil Nadu Govt announced that the State Government has initiated the process of bringing in private investments for the minor ports, which are to come up at Cheyyur, Marakannam, Manappad, Thirukuvallai, Cuddalore, Thirukadaiyur, and Ennore

These ports will be developed by private companies.

Cheyyur - Marg Construction
Marakanam - Apollo Hospitals Group
Manapadu - Mohan
Thirukuvalai - Prabhakaran
Cuddalore - Nagarjuna
Thirukadaiyur - Trident
Ennore - L & T

The Minister just repeated my forecast earlier in this thread that after Gujarat, TN will have lots of Minor ports developed by Pvt Companies to bring in Coal from Australia and Indonesia to cater to 50000 MW merchant Power Plants that are in the offing. All the power will be sold to States in need in INDIA.

Do we need to complete the Shipping Channel early or not? Let their Mind rule the people of India. I don't have any problem in renaming the canal as "RAMAR Shipping Channel"

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/04/13/stories/2008041350940300.htm
 
#138 ·
Palk Bay of Sethu project ready to handle vessels of 10 m draft


The Palk Bay of the Sethusamudram Ship Channel project is ready to handle vessels of 10 m draft with dredging of 10.73 m achieved in April in this location.

In other words, vessels up to 30,000 dwt (dead weight tonnes) can now navigate from Chennai up to the coast of Rameswaram, says a Chennai Port Trust press release.

DCI engaged a survey launch (Taurus) of Geo Star Surveys India to conduct a sea-bed survey from April 4 to ascertain the depth of the channel in this 54 km stretch, where at present six trailing suction hopper dredgers are at work.

The initial report shows that as against the planned channel depth of 12 m and 300 m width, the depth varies from 10 to 11 m with an average of 10.73 m. This is for the initial 18 km stretch. For the remaining 36 km of Palk Bay portion the depth varies from 10.75 m to -11.3 m, the release says.

The Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project envisages dredging of a ship channel across the Palk straits between India and Sri Lanka. The project will allow ships sailing between the east and west costs of India to have a straight passage through India’s territorial waters instead of having to circumvent Sri Lanka. This will lead to a saving of up to 424 nautical miles (780 km) and up to to 30 hours in sailing time.

Two channels will be created — one across north of Adam’s Bridge (the chain of islets and shallows linking India with Sri Lanka) south-ast of Pamban Island and another through the shallows of Palk Bay, deepening the Palk straits. The total length of these two channels would be 89 km.
 
#139 ·
Dredging of 54-km initial stretch in Palk Bay successful

CHENNAI: Dredger 17 with a 10.5-metre draft is set to sail from Chennai to Rameswaram by the month-end, following the successful dredging of a 54-km initial stretch in the Palk Bay for the Sethusamudram project, Chennai Port Trust chairman K. Suresh said Monday.

Talking to reporters here, Mr. Suresh, who also holds the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director of the Sethusamudram Corporation Ltd., said the 167-km canal comprised three segments.

Dredging of the initial portion up to 10.73-metre depth was completed, and the balance 1.27-metre depth would be completed by June-end. Dredging for the further length of 78 km was not required, as the depth in this area was in excess of 12 metres. Work on the 35-km Adam’s Bridge portion remained suspended since September 2007 following a Supreme Court order, he said.

Mr. Suresh said the Dredging Corporation of India engaged the M V Taurus, of Geo Star Surveys, on April 4 to conduct a seabed survey on the Palk Bay stretch to ascertain the depth. Currently, six Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers were at work.

The initial report revealed that as against the planned depth of 12 metres and width of 300 metres, the depth varied from 10 to 11 metres with an average of 10.73 metres for the first 18 km. For the remaining 36 km, it varied from 10.75 to 11.3 metres.

“This indicates that the dredging has been successfully carried out by the DCI”, he said.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/15/stories/2008041560490900.htm
 
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