Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project: Is DMK flogging a dead horse?

CHENNAI: DMK's effort to make the stalled Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project a major issue during the campaigning for April 24 Lok Sabha polls appears to have backfired with graft charges being levelled against then Shipping Minister T R Baalu by its expelled leader M K Alagiri besides lukewarm response of fishermen, a key stakeholder.

A dream project of Dravidian ideologue and late Chief Minister C N Annadurai, SSCP was given a big push during the UPA-I when Baalu was in charge of the shipping ministry, but ran into rough weathers after objections were raised on the ground that damage would be caused to the Adam's Bridge or Rama Sethu, the mythical bridge built by Lord Ram.

The over Rs 2,400 crore project seeks to create a shorter shipping route between the east and west coasts of the country as at present ships have to circumvent Sri Lanka.

Dusting up the issue, DMK leaders led by party patriarch M Karunanidhi targeted Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa for "scuttling" the project which they said would "bring huge economic benefits" to Tamil Nadu.

However, Jayalalithaa retorted that her government was only blocking "anti-people" projects, calling the SSCP "destructive and useless" and detrimental to the interests of fishermen.

Giving a new dimension to the issue, Alagiri, son of Karunanidhi, recently indicated irregularities in the project while making graft charges against Baalu, seeking re-election to Lok Sabha from Thanjavur constituency.

Latching on to this, Jayalalithaa asked Karunanidhi to respond to his son's missive, but the DMK patriarch sought to play it down, saying it was not important who made the accusation and it should be substantiated.

Even parties like MDMK, now in the NDA, which staunchly supported the project in the past, now say any forward movement on the plan was possible only after "convincing" the fishermen.

K Bharathi, president of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association, strongly opposed the project, claiming it would lead to sea erosion and affect fish wealth in the region, thereby endangering the livelihood of fishermen in six coastal districts of the state.

"It is only some political parties who are clamouring for it. We will continue to oppose it," he said.

It remains to be seen if the DMK reaps electoral dividends in coastal regions by championing Sethu project or if it is just flogging a dead horse.