Giving a 'scientific' angle to its stance against the demolishing Adam's bridge, the VHP warned that deposits of thorium would be disturbed
CHENNAI: Giving a 'scientific' angle to its stance against the demolition of 'Ramar Sethu' (Adam's bridge) under the Sethusamduram Shipping Canal Project, the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad on Sunday cautioned that rich deposits of thorium, considered important for energy independence, would be disturbed if the Ramar Sethu was destroyed.
Addressing a press conference here, VHP International Working President S Vedantham said that about 3.64 lakh tonnes of thorium deposits are found at Manavalakurichi in Tamil Nadu, Aluva and Chavara in Kerala and Chatrapura in Orissa.
"If Ramar Sethu is demolished, thorium deposits in Tamil Nadu will be washed off to international waters or submerged in the ocean in the event of another tsunami. In that case, retrieval of the mineral will become an expensive proposition," he argued.
As only India had rich thorium resources and the technology in the world, the U.S.A had been pressuring the Centre to speedily implement the SethuSamudram project, he claimed.
"We suspect an international conspiracy to prevent India from becoming a nuclear power as the thorium deposits will meet the country's requirement for 400 years," Vedantham said.
He urged the Centre to review the amendments made to the Mines Act, permitting private players into mining and exclude strategic minerals from privatised mining operations in view of the nation's strategic nuclear programme.
He alleged that LTTE was also involved in mining thorium at Pulmothai near Triconomalee in Sri Lanka and expressed apprehension that the Sethusamudram channel would facilitate a two-way trafficking of the precious mineral.
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