TN HC orders notice to Centre on Adam's Bridge

Admitting two public interest litigations seeking to restrain the Centre from "demolishing or tampering" with the Ramar sethu (Adams Bridge) for the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project (SSCP), the Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered notice to the Centre,returnable by May 29.

A Vacation Bench, comprising Justice M Jeyapaul and P R Shivakumar, ordered notice to the Union Ministry of Shipping, Surface Transport and Highways Transport, Chairman and Managing Director of Sethusamudram Corporation Limited, Union Minister T R Baalu and two others.

The PILs were submitted by Rama Gopalan, President, Hindu Munnani and Subramanian Swamy, Janata party President.

In his PIL, Rama Gopalan sought to restrain the Government from demolishing or damaging the Ramar sethu and direct the authorities to complete the project by following an alternative alignment.

Swamy in his petition has sought a court direction for constituting an Experts Committee to investigate the origin and the history of the bridge. Other aspects could also be checked and verified with a view to declaring it as a monument of national importance, under the Ancient Monuments and Archaelogical Sites and Remains Act, he submitted.