PRESS RELEASES

Dredgers had commenced destruction of the bridge

But the Court has ordered the suspension of the destruction

RAM SETU DESTRUCTION WILL UNDERMINE INDIA’S NUKE CAPABILITY

VHP warns of Indian nuclear-fuel-reserves-depletion with the Adam's bridge destruction project

Linking the indo-US 123 Nuke Pact with the RAM Setu issue , the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) International General Secretary Praveen Togadia today alleged destruction of the under-sea bridge (also known as Rama Bridge by Hindu's, or Adam's Bridge by Muslims and Christians), under the setusamudram Project will make India subservient to the West for fuel to produce nuclear power.

The destruction of the Ram setu will not only be an attack on the Hindu faith across the world, but will also result in the washing away of large desposits of Thorium from which 400,000 mega watt of electricity can be produced in the electricity starved India annually.

India needs at least 100,000 mega watt electricity to serve the growing needs of the economy, but the two conventional sources of electricity , Water and coal, are not sufficient to meet the requirement. Only nuclear power can fulfill the target and the huge thorium deposits on both sides of the Ram setu could be a major source for producing at least 400,000 mega watt electricity every year, Dr Togadia claimed.

“ China is successfully producing Thorium based electricity and even the bhabha Atomic Research Centre in India is ready to go ahead with plans for producing electricity through Thorium based nuke reactor.” Dr Togadia said “ Production of Thorium based electricity will not only fulfill requirements of Indian Economy, but surplus nuke power can also be exported to other countries.” The western powers, including the US, do not want our country to be self-dependent in terms of nuclear electricity and that is why they are influencing the UPA government to destroy the Ram Sethu in the name of Sethusamudram Project, only to wash away the valuable Thorium deposits,” he alleged.

Future linking the indo-US nuke deal with the probable destruction of Ram Setu, Dr Togadia said “The nuke deal will ensure that India produces 20,000 MW nuclear electricity out of uranium sourced from western power. By destroying the Ram Setu, the western powers want to ensure that no uranium can be generated through the thorium reserves edging the under-sea bridge.”

” It is well known that all natural Thorium can be bred into Uranium and that is why the west though the UPA government wants to ensure that with the destruction of Ram Setu and the subsequent washing away of Thorium reserves, India’s capability produce nuclear power on its own is eroded forever.

http://www.vhp.org/

Why the Ram Setu or Adam's bridge must not be destroyed

2007-10-05

By tarun vijay

Tarun Vijay Editor, Panchjanya, suggests an alternative route to avoid destroying the world heritage bridge

Sethusamudram, a project to create alternative shorter route for ships to cross the Gulf of Mannar, between India and Sri Lanka, is more than 150 years old. In 1955, the Government of India set up the Sethusamudram project committee to look into the feasibility of the project and five routes were discussed till 2001.

The official web site of the project says, 'Ships originating from the west of India and destined for Chennai, Ennore, Vishakapatnam, Paradeep, Haldia and Kolkata have to travel around the Sri Lankan coast resulting in increase of travel distance and time. The total cost of the project is Rs 2,427 crores (Rs 24.27 billion) and involves destruction of a bridge believed to have been built by Lord Rama and Muslims and Christians believe it to be Adam's creation.

Lack of proper consultation has stirred up protests from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha. Ashok Singhal of the VHP is spearheading a movement to protect the Ram Setu. He addressed a big public meeting in Rameshwaram with religious heads and Dr Subramanian Swamy. BJP leader and former Union human resources development minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi has written to the prime minister, urging him to stop the destruction of the great heritage site.

The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the bridge thus, 'Adam's Bridge also called Rama's Bridge, chain of shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India.'

Apart from such issues of heritage and belief, there are genuine concerns regarding security and the tsunamis' impact increasing in case the Ram Setu is destroyed.

The role of the Tuticorin Port Trust, the nodal agency to implement the Sethu Samudram Canal Project coupled with the haste with which the project was inaugurated, has given rise to many unanswered questions. The US Navy operational directive refusing to accept the sea between India and Sri Lanka as 'historic' was made on June 23, 2005.

Local fishermen, Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike oppose the present route and are demanding alternative channels, which are available. They say the present channel would destroy marine life and corals. This will kill the trade in shankas (shells) that has a turnover in excess of Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion) per annum. Invaluable thorium deposits would be affected, which are too important for our nuclear fuel requirements.

The issue concerns us all, and should be taken up as Indians, without getting entangled in party lines and political games. The Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge belongs to all humanity, being an important heritage site.