Sethusamudram project: Govt unable to give time-bound report

Government today failed to give a time-frame to place before the Supreme Court the report of the expert committee examining the feasibility of the controversial Sethusamudram project through Dhanuskodi instead of Rama Setu.

However, the Centre said the preliminary report of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), which according to the opponents of the project has doubted its feasibility, cannot be taken as final and binding on the expert committee headed by environmentalist R K Pachauri.

The affidavit, filed by the Ministry of Shipping, said the expert committee in its November 10 meeting had discussed the inputs provided by the NIO and further nominated it for conducting the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) in eighteen months.

"Hence, at this juncture NIO's preliminary report cannnot be taken as final and binding on the expert committee. In view of the decision of the expert committee taken in the meeting on Novemeber 10, the final report for the EIA has to be awaited before the Committee come to a final conclusion about the feasibility of the alternative alignement as the impact of environment is one of the most important aspects for the construction of channel," the affidavit said.
 
Government's stand was in response to an application moved by Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy seeking scrapping of the controversial Sethusamudram project claiming NIO, which is the expert body of government, has doubted its feasibility.