New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on a plea filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking a direction to the Union government, to decide, in an expeditious manner, his representation for declaring ‘Ram Setu’ a monument of national importance.

Issuing notice, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta sought responses from the Union Ministry of Culture, the Director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), and the Tamil Nadu Regional Director of the ASI in the matter.

Earlier, Swamy had filed a plea before the apex court seeking a direction to the Union government to engage the Geological Survey of India as well as the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a detailed survey of the site and to ensure its protection, recognising it as a site of religious and historical significance.

In January 2023, the Supreme Court had disposed of Swamy’s application, allowing him liberty to submit additional material. However, according to the latest writ petition, no decision or action has yet been communicated by the Union government.

Following a fresh representation to the Union Minister of Culture on May 13, Swamy has now filed this Public Interest Litigation (PIL), urging the apex court to direct the Centre to take a time-bound decision and comply with the previous orders to safeguard the site.

Senior advocate Vibha Datta Makhija, assisted by advocate Satya Sabharwal, represented Swamy before the apex court.

Ram Setu, which is also known as Adam’s Bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island or Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.

According to Indian mythology, the bridge was believed to have been constructed by Lord Rama with the help of his allies to cross over to Sri Lanka.

The UPA government, in 2007, had proposed the Sethusamudram project, under which an 83-km-long deep-water channel was to be made by extensive dredging and removal of the limestone shoals, to link Mannar with the Palk Strait. After interim directions were issued by the Supreme Court on Swamy’s petition, the government resorted to another plan to link Mannar with the Palk Strait.

–IANS

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