Sethusamudram Canal History & Facts
- Environmental implications of the Sethusamudram project
- Inconsistencies in the NEERI Environmental Impact Assessment
- Legal and planning issues
- Manitham Report on humanitarian issues of SSCP
- Palk Bay Issues and Security Concerns
- Sri Lankan Campaign against Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project
- Strategic security and Sethusamudram project
- Historical Timeline
- Will ships use the canal at such costs?
STRATEGIC SECURITY AND SETHUSAMUDRAM PROJECT
by Col R Hariharan (retd.)
Introduction
The Sethusamudram Canal Project (SSCP) is a 145- year-old idea since the British colonial days; the canal running through the waters of Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar links the eastern and western coasts of South India. It was inaugurated on July 2, 2005.
This long awaited project has become the focus of controversy ever since the Government of India (GOI) decided to implement it. As it is mired in partisan politics of Tamil Nadu, important dimensions of the project that could impact national security including its strategic, economic, environmental and ecological aspects have not been analysed objectively.