'Lanka too opposes project'

Swamy says study on Sethu is bogus

NT Bureau
Chennai, Sept 6:

Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy today said the benefits and costs of Sethusamudram Canal Project (SSCP) were based on 'faulty calculations and cooked-up data'.

Addressing a press conference here, Swamy quoted analysis of economic expert Jacob John that 'the entire economic cost-benefit analysis made by the Union Shipping Ministry and presented in a detailed project report (DPR) to the Union Cabinet for approval of the project is bogus and is aimed at misleading the nation about the financial viability of the project.'

Disputing the claim made in the DPR that the sailing time would be reduced by up to 36 hours and cost-saving thereby nearly Rs 1000 crore annually, the Janata Party leader termed the calculation 'bogus' as it is estimated on the basis of savings in time and fuel made by ships going from Tuticorin to Chennai and applied to all ships travelling in the Indian Ocean. However, he said it is true that a single journey between Chennai and Tuticorin would save about 30 hours because of the project. The journey between Kanyakumari and Kolkata would save only 18 hours. Similarly, ships from Africa and Mauritius, would save just four hours. 'As the ships can travel at 12 knots per hour on open seas, while it would have to go slower than 8 knots through the SSCP channel,' he said.

Sri Lanka opposes SSCP

Swamy said the Sri Lankan High Commissioner informed him that the 35-member special committee set up by the Sri Lankan President on the question of impact of SSCP has come to a conclusion that the project would cause intolerable damage to the environment. Moreover, he said the Island nation did not want to damage the Ramar Sethu as it also has heritage links with it.

The Janata Party president said that by the Indo-US nuclear deal, US have the right to bring the nuclear reactors used for military purpose under inspection, if India were suspected to use the components of civilian nuclear reactors for military use. He said India should not sign the deal unless it is recognised as 'nuclear weapons State'.