Declare Ram Sethu a national monument: Jayalalithaa

Chennai, March 28 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Wednesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take steps to declare Ram Sethu/Adam's Bridge as a national monument.

In letter to Singh released to the media, Jayalalithaa cited the strong objections raised to the alignment of Sethu Samudram Channel project and said: "I request you to take necessary action to communicate the views of the government of India to the Supreme Court that it would take immediate steps for declaring the site as a national monument.

"The state government will separately be filing a counter to express its stand," she added.

Several cases have been filed in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court against the Sethu Samudram project that proposed to dredge the Palk Strait so that shipping is possible between the western and eastern coasts instead of circumventing Sri Lanka.

As part of the project, it was planned to break the Ram Sethu/Adam's Bridge considered sacred by Hindus as the bridge built to Lanka by Hindu god Rama.

Referring to the various writ petitions, Jayalalithaa said she had also filed a writ petition in the apex court in 2007.

In her petition, she prayed for a direction by the apex court to direct the central government and Tuticorin Port Trust to declare Ram Sethu as a national monument and prevent any damage to it.