What I would like to know about Sethu Samudram

Not sure if Lord Ram and his army of monkeys (if they existed, that is) ever foresaw that their bridge to Lanka would create such hue and cry many many centuries later. I am obviously talking about the Sethu Samudram project that has polarized popular opinion in India. As most Indians are aware by now, the Sethu Samudram project is basically a mega construction effort that would facilitate better shipping access between India and Sri Lanka. The problem, however, is that this project would destroy the so-called Adam's Bridge, that many Hindus believe was constructed by Lord Ram and his army of monkeys in their attempt to save Seetha from the demon king Ravana, the ruler of Lanka.

Now, we all know only too well that religion and politics are joined at the hip in India. Probably more so than in any other country. The result, of course, is that projects like the Sethu Samudram generate a spectrum of strong emotions. On one extreme, are the Hindu fundamentalists from VHP and BJP who think that the project is outright blasphemy. At the other end are the archaeologists who say that there is no real evidence that the bridge was built by Ram and that the project is economically beneficial. Somewhere in between, are colorful politicians like Karunanidhi, who famously questioned "Who is this Ram? Which Engineering college did he graduate from?".

Emotions aside, there are several important questions that Indians need to ask about Sethu Samudram:

• First, what exactly are the costs and benefits of the project. We have all heard that the Sethu Samudram will save ships an average of 36 hours of travel time and about 600 nautical miles of distance. But we all know only too well that numbers are like bikinis. They conceal as much as they reveal. What are the origins of the ships bound to India's East Coast? What is the nature and volume of goods that are shipped from each of these origins and do the savings in travel times necessarily translate to tangible benefits for these ships.
• The project will recover the construction costs by imposing a usage fee on the ships that will use the Sethu Samudram canal. How was this fee determined? Has anyone calculated the "money value of time" for the shippers that plan to use the proposed canal? Is it possible that if the user fee is unreasonably high, then the ships may altogether avoid the canal and continue to use the current route around Sri Lanka?
• Several reports suggest that the Palk Strait is shallow for a reason. The oceanic currents dump enormous amounts of sand in the region. If ever the Sethu Samudram project goes ahead, how do the engineers propose to keep the canal navigable? Have the project documents taken due note of the maintenance costs and have these costs been rolled into the proposed user fee structure.
• The Sethu Samudram project is not really designed for ships over 20,000 deadweight tons. Given that many shippers are switching to larger carriers that will provide them with economies of scale, can the canal justify its long term value or will it simply be a canal to no where?
• No matter what the economic benefits, due diligence must be paid to the religious aspects in countries like India. What can the authorities from both India and Sri Lanka do to mitigate the ill-will they would have generated among the millions of Hindus?

The Sethu Samudram project is ambitious, and could be beneficial. But what is needed now is an objective assessment by calm minds, not unwarranted debate by partisan politicians and special interest groups.