Placing the committee's 37-page report before a bench of justices H L Dattu and C K Prasad, Solicitor General Rohinton Nariman submitted that the Union Cabinet was yet to consider and take a decision on it.
Appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the panel, headed by eminent environmentalist R K Pachauri, analysed various aspects and said the alternate route aimed to protect Ram Sethu, also called Adams Bridge, was not an acceptable option and not in public interest.
"On the basis of the analysis and the importance of observing a risk management approach, both in ecological as well as economic terms, it appears questionable whether Alignment 4A (east of Dhanushkodi) represents an attractive or even an acceptable option.
"Given the doubt raised by the detailed analysis which has been carried out, it is unlikely that the public interest would be served by pursuing the project on the basis of Alignment 4A," the report said.
Questioning the viability of the alternate route, the committee said the project could pose a serious threat to the ecology and further analysis needed to be done on the project's feasibility in such a fragile ecological zone.
"For the foregoing, it can be seen that the project, including the possibility of adopting Alignment 4A, could potentially result in ecological threats that could pose a risk to the ecosystem in the surrounding area and in particular, to the biosphere reserve," the report said.
After a brief hearing, the bench granted the government eight weeks time to apprise it about its stand on the project. MORE
