Will the Sethu channel be a security risk?
Priyanka P. Narain, LiveMint.com
March 13, 2008
http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/13001811/Will-the-Sethu-channel-be-a-se.html

At its narrowest and most vulnerable point, the Sethusamudram ship canal will bejust 300m wide

Out of the 116 pages of a government report devoted to the controversial Adam’s Bridge, just one dwells on the national security implications of dredging the coral walkway between India and Sri Lanka.
In a report it was convened to write, the committee of eminent persons, as it is known, says the threat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)—a separatist group in Sri Lanka that was behind the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi—has been “blown out of proportion” and that the group will not “launch any misadventure against the mighty Indian Navy.”

The Indian Navy, however, begs to differ. Last month, navy chief Suresh Mehta and coast guard director general Rusi F. Contractor said they believe the channel is a security risk. “Projects like the Sethusamudram could bring in more security problems,” Contractor said, referring to the full name for the project on the bridge, also known as the Ram Sethu. “The small waterway could prove a security risk.”

Two recent developments might force India to reconsider its Indian Ocean strategy and the committee’s complacency. First, security experts note that terrorist organizations are allying with pirates, and turning their attention to narrow strait channels, where ships are most vulnerable. Further, China has been aligning itself with the Sri Lankan government, providing arms and weapons to solidify a partnership with India’s southern neighbour.

Under the Rs2,600 crore Sethusamudram project, shared waters between India and Sri Lanka would be open-ed up by dredging the coral bridge between the two countries. The channel would shorten shipping times and distances for vessels going around India. But the project has been at the centre of controversy because many Hindus believe the Hindu king, Ram, built the walkway.

Members of the committee of eminent persons say they cannot answer any questions before getting the government’s clearance. “We have just given our word not to talk about it. The government will tell us know when it is okay to talk,” one member said, under the condition of anonymity. Calls to the office of shipping minister T.R. Baalu, who is overseeing the project, were not returned.

In September, as key litigant and Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy raised questions about the project’s economic, environmental, security and cultural viability, the Supreme Court demanded answers from the government on a few key questions: Why was the current channel alignment chosen out of six alternatives? What was the cultural significance of the Adam’s Bridge?