Sethu in SC but Govt invites bids for ship-tracking system

Incidentally, dredging is on in the Palk Bay stretch — it’s the Adam’s Bridge that’s at the centre of the controversy over whether its natural or man-made.

VTMS regulates the arrival of vessels at a port/channel and has radars for monitoring and controlling the vessel’s real-time position ensuring navigational security and safety at ports. According to the announcement, the cost of designing, constructing, installing, testing, maintaining and then handing over the proposed VTMS at Sethusamudram is expected to cost above Rs 128 crore.

When asked why bids were invited given that the project’s future depends on the court’s orders, a senior Shipping Ministry official told The Indian Express: “Dredging work has been suspended only along a section of the project as per court orders. The project itself does not stand suspended so there is nothing wrong with calling for bids for a vessel-tracking system.”

Dredging started south of Adam’s Bridge in December 2006 after its inauguration by Minister for Shipping and DMK’s T R Baalu. All dredging, however, had to be suspended in September 2007 after the Supreme Court order. Both Baalu and DMK leader Karunanidhi have been lobbying hard with the Centre to get the project through, getting a fresh affidavit filed before the court instead of keeping it in abeyance as was suggested by the Ministry of Tourism & Culture. Baalu even recently told the Lok Sabha that the project is likely to come through by November this year subject to court orders.

The VTMS System planned for the channel will provide seamless surveillance of the entire channel route for radar targets with five Radar Stations uniformly spread along the route of the project. The Master Control Centre (MCC), to be established at Rameswaram, will observe the movement of vessels transiting the channel, closely monitor traffic and warn vessels in case of any traffic violation or approaching danger. It will also help control consequences of accidents and disasters like oil spillage etc. In addition to the channel authorities, the system shall also cater to the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy, says the bid document.

The Sethusamudram project envisages a 90-km-long channel across the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka that is expected to cut 30 hours in sailing time by allowing ships sailing between the east and west coasts to have a straight passage through India’s territorial waters, instead of having to circumvent Sri Lanka.