The proposed Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project aims to connect which two water bodies?

The Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project proposes to dredge a navigable channel between India and Sri Lanka, linking the Gulf of Mannar in the south with the Palk Strait (and Palk Bay) in the north.

Why the canal was proposed:

At present, there is no continuous deep-water channel through the shallow sea between India and Sri Lanka. Ships sailing between India's west coast and east coast have to go around the island of Sri Lanka.

A canal through this area would shorten the route by roughly 400 nautical miles and save about 30 hours of sailing time.

History of the idea:

The idea was first suggested in 1860 by the British naval officer A. D. Taylor.

Several committees studied it over the following century.

The project was formally inaugurated in 2005 by the central government, with the Sethusamudram Corporation Ltd created to implement it.

Controversy:

The chosen route (the alignment through Adam's Bridge) required dredging a chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island (Rameswaram) and Mannar Island in Sri Lanka.

This chain, known as Adam's Bridge or Ram Setu, is believed by many Hindus to be the bridge built by Lord Rama's army in the Ramayana. Religious groups opposed cutting through it.

Environmentalists raised concerns about damage to the coral reefs and marine life of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and Biosphere Reserve, home to the endangered dugong (sea cow).

Some experts also questioned the project's economic viability, since large ships could not use the shallow channel.

The matter went to the Supreme Court, and work was halted. The project has remained stalled.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambhat lie on either side of the Kathiawar peninsula in Gujarat.
• ✗The Andaman Sea lies east of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• ✗The Lakshadweep Sea lies between Lakshadweep, the Maldives and the south-west coast of India.