Security concerns loom large over Sethu project

New Delhi: While the political controversy rages, it has now been revealed that security implications were not even considered before the Sethu project was started. The navy and the coastguard were not even consulted, a CNN- IBN report said.

The hard-sell on the Sethusamudaran Project also mentions that it would link up the Navy's Eastern and Western Fleets, reducing mobilisation time in an emergency.

Sailing from Vizag to Kochi would be down from 33 to 15 hours. But it seems the advantage has been overstated. "Presently sail at speeds between 15 and 20 knots but sailing in restricted, shallow waters of the canal would reduce speed to six knots," said strategic analyst Commodore Uday Bhaskar.

A more serious security concern would be the freedom of movement that the canal would give to the LTTE.

"One cannot rule out the possibility of the LTTE wanting to inflict some damage to ships transiting through the canal," said Captain Balakrishnan.

The LTTE has proven naval capability. Surprisingly, the Navy and the Coastguard have not been consulted about the security implications.

"The kind of inter-agency co-ordination and evaluation that should precede this kind of project does not seem to have been done," said Bhaskar.

Sethusamundram does not have the same strategic significance. Security experts are urging a serious cost-benefit analysis.

Meanwhile, the Rama Sethu controversy exploded into violence on Sunday when cadres of the ruling DMK attacked the BJP's state headquarters here and its offices in several places across Tamil Nadu, R. Bhagwan Singh reported .

Fifteen party functionaries sustained injuries and the furniture and windowpanes of the office were damaged when DMK goons threw stones and sticks at the party headquarters while the police watched, BJP State Vice-President G. Kumaravelu said.

State BJP General Secretary Tamizhisai Sounderarajan was among those injured when party functionaries took shelter behind the locked collapsible gates of the party headquarters 'Kamalalayam' in south Chennai's T. Nagar locality.

"The DMK cadres have ransacked our office and attacked us with stones and they uprooted the pole of our party flag.

The police allowed them a free hand in this brutal attack on the state headquarters of a national party. Can't an Opposition party function in Tamil Nadu? The CM must answer this," an angry Tamizhisai told reporters, displaying her injured hand.

Another woman BJP functionary had a bleeding wound close to her eye from a stone-hit.

State Vice-President H. Raja's house in Karaikudi in southern Tamil Nadu was attacked late Saturday night. Reports of similar violence targeting the BJP and its saffron allies came from several parts of Tamil Nadu.