PM launches work on Sethusamudram project

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated work on the Rs 2,427 crore Sethusamudram shipping canal project yesterday - fulfilling one of the promises contained in the UPA government's common minimum programme and a 145-year-old dream of Tamilians.

As the Prime Minister pressed a button from a dais here, dredging began at a site off point Calimere coast in Nagapattinam district, 250 km away from here. The commencement of the dredging work was beamed live on a giant screen.

The function was boycotted by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa who had opposed the inauguration of the work on the 167-km long canal saying that it did not address environmental concerns.

The function was attended by leaders and constituent partners of the ruling UPA coalition including the alliance's chairperson Sonia Gandhi.