Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument. Create Maritime Economic zones, freight corridors as alternatives to channel, protect rare earth, atomic mineral placer sands
Alternatives to Sethusamudram Project should be to comprehensively develop the coastline as maritime economic zones.
The alternatives to transport of goods and fishing vessels should be:
1. To develop container ports in Kollachel, Tuticorin, Vizhinjam and provide for high-speed freight corridors with electrified double lines exclusively for goods traffic between Kollachel and Kolkata.
2. A similar corridor from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Madurai parallel to Ramasetu.
3. To declare marine coastal economic special zones to promote marine cooperatives and enhance fishery ports and air-conditioned storage facilities for fishery and other aquacultural, coastline agricultural products such as conch shell, coconut, palm, algae and other sea products. Adequate protective arrangements should be made against future tsunami and frequent storms and typhoons.
4. Modernize the Pamban channel with facilities for increased traffic for fishing and small vessels and increase the frequency of navigation by modernizing the cantilever bridge facilities. This should also include pilgrimage, tourism facilities and options for small scale passenger ships and cruise ships/voyages in the Indian Ocean. This should complement the announcement of Ramasetu as National Monument and National Pilgrimage Zone and setting up of world-class National Maritime Museum in the region.
5. Improve coastguard security in the coastal zone as part of the Pamban Channel Project. Improve the security arrangements for conserving and protecting placer sands containing monazite, other atomic minerals such as ilmenite, zircon, leucoxine and other rare earth reserves under Joint Army Command all along the coastline.
6.Announce the waters in Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, as historical waters for common use by India (Bharat) and Sri Lanka, assuring the protection of the environmentally fragile marine bio-reserve of the maritime zone.
Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan: Dangers of navigating through Pamban channel, Gulf of Mannar Ramasetu. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument.
The Gulf of Mannar is called Sethusamudram. The Gulf lies between Dhanushkodi (India) and Talaimannar (Sri Lanka).
The waters of the Indian Ocean are most turbulent in this maritime zone. Tamil Nadu Maritime Board issues daily weather warnings about the Pamban Channel which lies north of Gulf of Mannar between Rameshwaram and Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district.
In addition to regular high tides, frequent storms and cyclones, the zone is also prone to tsunamis as evidenced by the tsunami of December 26, 2006 which recorded a death toll of 230,000 people in the Indian Ocean. http://en.wikipedia.
Any navigational channel in the ocean zone should be designed in such a way as to deflect any future tsunamis, particularly emanating from the Aceh islands of Indonesia which is a plate-tectonically active zone. This is important to prevent devastation of the coastline port facilities and lives as was witnessed during a tsunami emanating from Alaska destroying a Canadian channel of a Canadia port. On March 28, 1964 Port Alberni was hit by a tsunamitriggered by the 9.2 earthquake coming out of Alaska because the channel acted as a funneled conduit of the energy of the tsunami.
So, Government of India should make a categorical announcement that Ramasetu will NOT be touched by any maritime navigational projects including the Sethusamudram channel project which should be shelved in its entirety, cancelling all activities related to the project. GOI should submit an affidavit to Hon'ble Supreme Court declaring Ramasetu as a National Monument and affirming that any channel in the maritime zone will be subject to most rigorous environmental impact assessments consistent with the Environmental Protection Laws and ensuring that the livelihood of the people of the coastline are in no way affected. On the contrary, any projects taken up should be to augment the employment opportunities and earnings of the coastal people by creating Maritime Zone cooperatives with improved fishing harbors, protection of thorium reserves in the coastline, air-conditioned storage facilities to be used by the fisherfolk declaring the zone as a Special Economic Maritime Zone to be developed by peoples' initiatives with the support of GOI and Tamil nadu authorities and in coordination with the Govt of Sri Lanka which shares the waters of the Indian Ocean under the Law of the Sea. This is a vital requirement to ensure the safety of navigation in the Indian Ocean and protection of the lives of coastal people and fisherfolk dependent for their livelihoods on aquaculture including acquisition of s'ankha shells and other sea-based artifacts such as algae which have medicinal value.
Given the extreme weather conditions of high winds, high waves and frequent storms and given the fact that the zone is on a fault-line with evidences of Mannar volcanics, extreme care should be taken to warn the coastal people on a daily basis through weather reports, using satellite imaging technologies of the nation.
A number of alternatives to deepening the Pamban Channel exist which should be considered and evaluated for improved transportation between the west and east coasts of Bharatam. See: http://bharatkalyan97.
The Gulf of Mannar is called Sethusamudram. The Gulf lies between Dhanushkodi (India) and Talaimannar (Sri Lanka).
The waters of the Indian Ocean are most turbulent in this maritime zone. Tamil Nadu Maritime Board issues daily weather warnings about the Pamban Channel which lies north of Gulf of Mannar between Rameshwaram and Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district.
In addition to regular high tides, frequent storms and cyclones, the zone is also prone to tsunamis as evidenced by the tsunami of December 26, 2006 which recorded a death toll of 230,000 people in the Indian Ocean. http://en.wikipedia.
Any navigational channel in the ocean zone should be designed in such a way as to deflect any future tsunamis, particularly emanating from the Aceh islands of Indonesia which is a plate-tectonically active zone. This is important to prevent devastation of the coastline port facilities and lives as was witnessed during a tsunami emanating from Alaska destroying a Canadian channel of a Canadia port. On March 28, 1964 Port Alberni was hit by a tsunamitriggered by the 9.2 earthquake coming out of Alaska because the channel acted as a funneled conduit of the energy of the tsunami.
Any navigational channel in the ocean zone should be designed in such a way as to deflect any future tsunamis, particularly emanating from the Aceh islands of Indonesia which is a plate-tectonically active zone. This is important to prevent devastation of the coastline port facilities and lives as was witnessed during a tsunami emanating from Alaska destroying a Canadian channel of a Canadia port. On March 28, 1964 Port Alberni was hit by a tsunamitriggered by the 9.2 earthquake coming out of Alaska because the channel acted as a funneled conduit of the energy of the tsunami.
So, Government of India should make a categorical announcement that Ramasetu will NOT be touched by any maritime navigational projects including the Sethusamudram channel project which should be shelved in its entirety, cancelling all activities related to the project. GOI should submit an affidavit to Hon'ble Supreme Court declaring Ramasetu as a National Monument and affirming that any channel in the maritime zone will be subject to most rigorous environmental impact assessments consistent with the Environmental Protection Laws and ensuring that the livelihood of the people of the coastline are in no way affected. On the contrary, any projects taken up should be to augment the employment opportunities and earnings of the coastal people by creating Maritime Zone cooperatives with improved fishing harbors, protection of thorium reserves in the coastline, air-conditioned storage facilities to be used by the fisherfolk declaring the zone as a Special Economic Maritime Zone to be developed by peoples' initiatives with the support of GOI and Tamil nadu authorities and in coordination with the Govt of Sri Lanka which shares the waters of the Indian Ocean under the Law of the Sea. This is a vital requirement to ensure the safety of navigation in the Indian Ocean and protection of the lives of coastal people and fisherfolk dependent for their livelihoods on aquaculture including acquisition of s'ankha shells and other sea-based artifacts such as algae which have medicinal value.
Given the extreme weather conditions of high winds, high waves and frequent storms and given the fact that the zone is on a fault-line with evidences of Mannar volcanics, extreme care should be taken to warn the coastal people on a daily basis through weather reports, using satellite imaging technologies of the nation.
A number of alternatives to deepening the Pamban Channel exist which should be considered and evaluated for improved transportation between the west and east coasts of Bharatam. See: http://bharatkalyan97.
Is Nitin Gadkari reconsidering Mr. Townshend’s Proposal - 1861? He should scrap the Sethusamudram Kaarasthan Project, declare Ramasetu National Monument.
A clear distinction should be made between the facilities needed for the navigation of fishermens' boats through the Pamban Channel and use of the channel for freight traffic using barges, trawlers, catamarans or small sized vessels with capacity of about 10,000 tonnes given the shallow waters of the channel -- only about 2.5 metres. Any attempts to deepen the channel to 11 metres for navigation of vessels of 30,000 tonne capacity should be evaluated with great care. Such deepening will result in the need to reconstruct the present Pamban Rail and Road Bridges. The possibility of enhanced movement through the cantilever bridge on the Pamban Rail Bridge should be explored before attemptint to replace the cantilever bridge with other technological import options such as turn-table rail holders.
Further, protective arrangements are needed on both the left and right banks of the Pamban Channel to rescue any vessels which get stranded in sandbanks. The late PA Ramakrishnan had indicated the details of facilities made available in Suez Canal for such safety and rescue operations. See the embedded article: Nightmare ship salvage operation if Sethusamudram is aligned as a mid-ocean channel passage by PA Ramakrishnan.
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“The diagram illustrates a salvage method in Suez Canal to retrieve a grounded vessel in the canal. A heavy wire rope is led from the vessel right across the canal and secured to a bollard located on the other bank. Such bollards with holding power of upto 100 to 200 tons are buried in strong foundation every 200 feet on either side of the canal throughout its length. The wire is then tightened with very little sag, tow wire from a tug stationed in the middle of the channel is of sufficient length for maneuverability. Resulting Pull P from varying angles alpha on diagonal rope, one side exerting a pull on the bollard, and the other side on the ship, while tug Position of Span line while pulling providing a tworope pull of 50 tons…Ship winch is used to tighten the rope and remove the slackness.”
- Without such salvage operational facilities, any large-scale freight movement along the Pamban channel will be a risky navigational enterprise.
The Ramasetu Protection Movement urges the Govt. of India led by PM Narendra Modi to:
1. Announce Ramasetu as a National Monument and declare enhanced pilgrim tour arrangements in the maritime zone together with improvements in fishery berths, air-conditioned storage facilities, enhanced employment opportunities for conch-shell and other aquaculture activities including setting up Special maritime Economic Zones with Marine Cooperatives to improve the livelihood and earning opportunities for coastal people.
2. Anounce scrapping of the Sethusamudram channel project while exploring transportation alternatives between east and west coasts of India with enhanced container port facilities, transportation of oil and gas using pipelines, high-speed freight corridors between container ports and the hinterland of Bharat.
3. Announce environmental protection steps recommended by the Pachauri and earlier Committees for the Marine Bio Reserve of Gulf of Mannar in consultation and coordination with Govt. of Sri Lanka which shares the waters of the ocean under the Law of the Sea.
4. Enhance coast guard facilities to protect navigation and to protect thorium and other rare earth placer sand reserves in the maritime zone.
5. Enhance protection of atomic minerals and rare earth placer sands. Amend the DOE notification of January 26, 2006 declaring some atomic minerals under Open General Licence and restore the pre-eminent role assigned to Indian Rare Earths Limited to protect and conserve the rare earth placer sands and placer-sand mining operations along the coastline near Manavalakurichi in Tamil nadu, Aluva-chavara in Kerala, Bhimunipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Puri sands in Orissa, coastline of Konkan and other parts of the nation with monazite and other atomic mineral reserves. Scrap private mining operations in place sand mining.
S. KalyanaramanPresident, Rameshwaram Ramasetu Protection Movement Read on...
“The diagram illustrates a salvage method in Suez Canal to retrieve a grounded vessel in the canal. A heavy wire rope is led from the vessel right across the canal and secured to a bollard located on the other bank. Such bollards with holding power of upto 100 to 200 tons are buried in strong foundation every 200 feet on either side of the canal throughout its length. The wire is then tightened with very little sag, tow wire from a tug stationed in the middle of the channel is of sufficient length for maneuverability. Resulting Pull P from varying angles alpha on diagonal rope, one side exerting a pull on the bollard, and the other side on the ship, while tug Position of Span line while pulling providing a tworope pull of 50 tons…Ship winch is used to tighten the rope and remove the slackness.”
- Without such salvage operational facilities, any large-scale freight movement along the Pamban channel will be a risky navigational enterprise.
The Ramasetu Protection Movement urges the Govt. of India led by PM Narendra Modi to:
1. Announce Ramasetu as a National Monument and declare enhanced pilgrim tour arrangements in the maritime zone together with improvements in fishery berths, air-conditioned storage facilities, enhanced employment opportunities for conch-shell and other aquaculture activities including setting up Special maritime Economic Zones with Marine Cooperatives to improve the livelihood and earning opportunities for coastal people.
2. Anounce scrapping of the Sethusamudram channel project while exploring transportation alternatives between east and west coasts of India with enhanced container port facilities, transportation of oil and gas using pipelines, high-speed freight corridors between container ports and the hinterland of Bharat.
3. Announce environmental protection steps recommended by the Pachauri and earlier Committees for the Marine Bio Reserve of Gulf of Mannar in consultation and coordination with Govt. of Sri Lanka which shares the waters of the ocean under the Law of the Sea.
4. Enhance coast guard facilities to protect navigation and to protect thorium and other rare earth placer sand reserves in the maritime zone.
5. Enhance protection of atomic minerals and rare earth placer sands. Amend the DOE notification of January 26, 2006 declaring some atomic minerals under Open General Licence and restore the pre-eminent role assigned to Indian Rare Earths Limited to protect and conserve the rare earth placer sands and placer-sand mining operations along the coastline near Manavalakurichi in Tamil nadu, Aluva-chavara in Kerala, Bhimunipatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Puri sands in Orissa, coastline of Konkan and other parts of the nation with monazite and other atomic mineral reserves. Scrap private mining operations in place sand mining.
S. Kalyanaraman
President, Rameshwaram Ramasetu Protection Movement Read on...
http://bharatkalyan97.
Sethusamudram hey kaarasthan: Dangers of navigating through Pamban channel, Gulf of Mannar Ramasetu. NaMo, declare Ramasetu a National Monument.
Shipping project: Nitin Gadkari allays fear about demolishing Ram Sethu
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier stated that government would consider implementing SSCP by choosing an alternate route. (Source: PTI photo)
Press Trust of India | Rameswaram | Posted: November 4, 2014 4:56 pm | Updated: November 4, 2014 5:15 pm
Union Surface Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said there was no question of demolishing ‘Ramar Sethu’ while implementing the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project and asserted it would be done without harming the environment.
“There is no question of demolishing ‘Ramar Sethu’ (mythical bridge built by Lord Rama to reach Lanka) while implementing Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project,” he told reporters after inspecting the area by air in a Coast Guard aircraft and through sea by hovercraft.
Gadkari said government was studying four or five options and its implications, including cost, as suggested in a report submitted by RITES, after government asked it to survey an alternate alignment and possibilities for constructing SSCP.
The SSCP project envisages dredging a ship channel across Palk Straits, providing a shorter navigational route for ships from east and west coasts of the country instead of circumventing Sri Lanka, has hit a block after protests over the proposed demolition of Ram Sethu.
After the NDA Government came to power, Gadkari had asserted that Ram Sethu structure would not be demolished.
The Tamil Nadu Government has opposed the project on the ground that it would affect the livelihood of fishermen.
Gadkari had earlier stated in Parliament that government would consider implementing SSCP by choosing an alternate route. It is against this background that he inspected Palk Straits.
Asked if the money spent on the project so far would go waste, he said, “we will utilise the part of the project which is completed. We are trying to use part of the sea that has already been dredged for the project. Now we are trying to find out a route for the new alignment,” he said.
Gadkari said implementation of the project would result in India getting a continuous navigable route wihin its territorial waters. From the strategic and security point of view also, the project would be an important one, he said.
The coastal movement due to SSCP would improve and develop maritime trade. Initially navigational facility will be available for less than 30,000 Dead Weight Tonnage, he said.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/nitin-gadkari-ramar-sethu-sscp/