Condemning the Centre for 'yielding to the pressure of communal forces' with the Sethu Samudram Canal Project, the Left parties urged the government to implement it without any change.
CHENNAI: Condemning the Centre for 'yielding to the pressure of communal forces' and dilly-dallying with the Sethu Samudram Canal Project, the Left parties urged the Union government to implement it without any change.
Addressing a joint press meet, CPI-M state general secretary N Varadarajan and CPI state secretary D Pandian demanded to know why the Centre had sought three months time in the Supreme Court and agreed to consider an alternate alignment.
"Why is the Union government not firm in carrying out the project on the present alignment?"
The Centre should expedite the proceedings before the Apex Court on the SSCP issue and carry out the scheme as formulated by scientists, experts and various government agencies.
Stalling a developmental project in the name of 'epic heroes', that too after 60 per cent of the work was completed, was not good for the country, they said.
The leaders said other alignments were not acceptable since they would affect marine ecology and the livelihood of fishermen and the fishermen should be protected.
Asked if the DMK was putting pressure on the Centre to carry out the project, Pandian shot back 'it is not a party project, but a national project.'
To a query on AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa's charge that only small ships could enter the canal under the present plan, Pandian said 'dredging a canal at least for the entry of small ships will be better than doing nothing. If Jayalalithaa becomes Prime Minister, she can deepen the canal and the Communists will not object'.
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