Sethu: Centre to seek vacation of stay
It's for court to decide on alternative alignment for dredging The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Thursday cleared the government's affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court on the controversial Sethusamudram project. The government has sought vacation of the stay on the implementation of the Sethusamudram project, Congress sources said. According to the sources, the government has presented the available scientific, technical and factual details on the project. It has maintained that no issue of faith was being touched upon in implementing the project. Buying time While leaving it to the court to take a view on the issue, the government has also left it open for the court to decide on an alternative alignment for dredging, for which first feasible studies would have to be conducted. In other words, this would enable the United Progressive Alliance government to buy time till after the general elections. On Wednesday, the Congress had officially declared that efforts were on to find a "balance' between "development' and "emotional sensitivities' with regard to the project.