The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Constructive projects are always welcome, says Jayalalithaa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 27, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Constructive projects are always welcome, says Jayalalithaa

Special Correspondent

Sethusamudram project designed to destroy fishermen's livelihood

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa

CHENNAI: Even as Chief Minister Jayalalithaa renewed her attack on the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project in its present form, she told the Assembly on Monday that her Government has always welcomed constructive projects of the Central Government.

Intervening in a discussion on the supplementary estimates, Ms. Jayalalithaa said while the State Government had secured financial assistance from the Union Government for flood and tsunami relief operations by making representations, it opposed the Sethusamudram project which, she said, was so designed to destroy the livelihood of fishermen.

Giving a list of joint venture projects involving the participation of agencies of the State and Central Governments, she criticised the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for trying to create an impression as if the State Government was always against the Centre's schemes.

Making this observation in the context of the Tuticorin Port expansion project, she recalled that she had emphasised, at the National Development Council meeting at New Delhi in June, the need for developing the Tuticorin harbour as hub port. Keeping this in mind, the Centre proposed the expansion project at a cost of Rs. 680 crores. "For this, the Tuticorin Collector held a public hearing on September 21. Still, on the advice of the Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu, the Tuticorin Port Trust Chairman has filed a petition in the Madras High Court to delay the convening of the public hearing," she charged, wondering why her Government should oppose the project when the project was beneficial to the area.

For a new world-class international airport at Chennai, she had ordered the allocation of 1,457.5 acres of land free of cost after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved her request for one such airport, following the Centre's move to upgrade New Delhi and Mumbai airports. As a sequel to her representation to the Prime Minister, a state-of-the-art auto testing centre at Oragadam, near Chennai, would be set up. The Chief Minister also referred to the JV projects in the power sector with the Neyveli Lignite Corporation and the National Thermal Power Corporation. "My Government's cooperation is one of the major reasons for implementation of various road improvement projects of the National Highways Authority of India at a rapid pace. My Government has set up 40 special units to acquire land for the national highway development projects," the Chief Minister said.

Charging the Union Government with "hastily executing" the Sethusamudram project, Ms Jayalalithaa said though she and the late Chief Minister M.G.Ramachandran had, in the past, argued for the Project, the reason for her present position against the execution of the project was based on the opinion of experts, environmental scientists and the fisherfolk.

Flays "enemies of people"

Assailing the Centre for going ahead with the project without taking into account the opposition to the project, Ms Jayalalithaa said some "enemies of people" were responsible for the move. She had flayed the DMK president M. Karunanidhi and the Union Minister, T. R. Baalu, in this regard.

Dismissing the arguments in favour of the project, the Chief Minister said the scheme would neither benefit ship owners nor the economy of the State.

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