JNSC/NO/12003 STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS OF SETHUSAMUDRAM CANAL PROJECT ASSUMPTION1. Currently the Sethusamudram canal project has been put on hold; but in this service document it is assumed that this project is still being implemented.INTRODUCTION2. Being a peninsula, India has a coastline of 3,554 nautical miles and maritime trade has existed with various countries of the world for more than 3000 years. Similarly, maritime trade between the eastern and western coasts of India has prevailed for a long time. However, the Indian coast does not have a continuous waterway connecting the eastern and western coasts. As a result, ships sailing between the eastern and western coasts of India must circumnavigate Sri Lanka. Due to the waterway existing between India and Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Mannar (GOM) and Palk Strait, it is shallow in many places. Furthermore, a sand reef called Adams Bridge in Pamban near Rameswaram between the south-eastern coasts of India and Talaimannar of Sri Lanka also hampers the movement of large transport ships. The idea of ​​Sethusamudram Channel Project (SSCP) is almost 150 years old and has been proposed since the British colonial period. This canal was to pass through the Palk Strait and the GOM connecting the eastern and western coasts of South India. The project was started on 2 July 2005. The project has been suspended since the Tamil Nadu government approached the Supreme Court alleging it would have adverse effects on marine biodiversity and the Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) national monument.4 . The importance of this project is that the project could affect the national security of both India and Sri Lanka and also affects… half of the document… t.2. Dr. Anil Kumar, Geological Survey of India, National Seminar on Sethusamudram Project and its Possible Impacts on Kerala Coast Report.3. Dr. Lal Mohan, National Seminar on Sethusamudram Project and its Possible Impacts on Kerala Coast Report, Conservation of Nature Trust.4. Sudarman Rodrigo, Review of Environmental Impacts of Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter, (July 2007).5. Information Memorandum on Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project: Sethusamudram Cooperation Ltd, September 2005 sethusamudram.gov.in/CCEA/Memo/InfoMemo.do.6. V Sundaram, Retired IAS Officer: Increased dangers arising from Tsunami, (2007). Web Documents1. http://creative.sulekha.com-sethusamudram-and-its-national-and-global-impact.2. Indian Environmental Knowledge for Change: http://www.indiaenvironmentalportal.org.in3. www.RamSethu.org/expert1.html