The All India General Body meeting of Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, has voiced its strongest protest against the ongoing Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project for the reason that it is impracticable, unwanted, a great security risk and political project hurting the Hindu sentiments. The General Body that met in Chennai on April 15, discussed the nature and ramifications of the project. After deep deliberations, it felt that the fears and concerns expressed by various knowledgeable persons and organisations about the project are well founded and based on irrefutable facts. ?The project will destroy the most ancient Hindu relic of heritage linking Sri Lanka and Rameshwaram, traditionally believed by all Hindus to have been built by Lord Rama and hence accepted to be a matter of national pride,? a resolution adopted at the meeting said.
The meeting further said that at a time when the whole world is becoming aware of the need for preserving ancient heritage and even the UNESCO is liberally funding the preservation of such heritage sites, it is inconceivable, even sacrilegious for India to destroy the world'smost ancient heritage by a willful act of wanton destruction. ?The project will have very serious consequence on the security of the country. It will also throw open India'snational waters for international navigation. It will create a catastrophic situation to the coastal regions, if another tsunami takes place. The large-scale thorium deposits in the coastal area will be washed away with the result that our nuclear potentialities will be radically destroyed,? the resolution added.
The resolution further said the current plan did not take into fact the possibility of alternate routes, which would be free from the undesirable consequences. ?The persistence with which the dredging activities are being carried out in spite of well-informed and well-intentioned ciriticism by eminent people gives rise to the suspicion that there may be ulterior motives to the entire project. Hence, this meeting of Vivekananda Kendra calls upon the concerned authorities to put a stop to the current activities and explore other available alternatives. It also calls upon the people in general to jointly protest against the project as it is planned and implemented currently. The project is deliberately designed to destroy the oldest Hindu relic and heritage,? the resolution said.
The Kendra asserted by its resolution that the sentiments of Hindus stand wounded by the destruction of Ram Sethu. The Kendra resolved that the project would give no economic advantage to India. The project is a great security risk and must be abandoned forthwith. (FOC)
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