Will fight demolition of Ramar Sethu: BJP

Madurai, Feb 2: The BJP would fight any move to demolish the ‘Ramar Sethu’ or Adams bridge in the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka for making the Sethu Samudram channel and would make it a national issue, the party’s state president L Ganesan has said.

Ganesan pointed out that nations all over the world are evincing great interest in protecting heritage sites. Even Pakistan had decided to renovate some heritage sites, including Hindu temples. “It is regrettable that the UPA government is trying to destroy them (sites),” he said, speaking to newspersons at Karaikudi, about 80 km from here, yesterday.

He said the SSCP, conceived by the previous NDA government was different, as they had suggested that the project be taken up in four stages. But the UPA Cabinet did not approve it.

The UPA government had also dropped a project approved by the NDA government to deepen Dhanushkodi area to avoid any damage to the bridge and had instead taken up dredging work on SSCP. Besides being expensive, it was also causing damage to the 17,000-year-old heritage site. A case against damaging the site was pending in the court, he pointed out.

The BJP demanded that the State Election Commission (SEC) be transferred in the light of the recent adverse comments by the Madras High Court pertaining to the Chennai Corporation polls.

“The election should be held with another person as SEC. But I doubt if the DMK government will change him,” Ganesan said.

He also demanded that the state release the list of real beneficiaries under the free land scheme.