Himalayan News Service

Colombo, April 30:

Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran arrived here today for talks that will discuss, among other things, the Sethusamudram canal project between the countries. Saran, who will be here until Tuesday, will discuss the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, that involves creation of a navigable channel by India through the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal through the Palk Strait. The project was cleared first by the Jawaharlal Nehru cabinet in 1955 and studied by three committees in 1955, 1983 and 1996. This government cleared it in 2004. The canal project is envisaged to give a boost to economic development in southern Tamil Nadu. Since the Gulf of Mannar is narrow and shallow, ships from the Arabian Sea have to go around Sri Lanka to reach the eastern ports of India. Once the project is completed, it will reduce travel time for ships by 36 hours and the distance by 640 km.

Some Sri Lankans are asking what they will get from the project and Saran may face some questions. The Sri Lankan government may suggest that a joint committee study the issue again before work starts. There are also concerns over dredging the shallow sea dividing the two nations to allow international shipping to bypass Sri Lanka. The government here is apprehensive that the project could take away shipping from Colombo’s main port. Saran’s tour is taking him to the temple town of Kandy, where Buddhists believe a tooth relic of Buddha is kept. He will also visit Trincomalee, South Asia’s best natural harbour where India has economic interest.