Hindu organisation calls nation-wide bandh across India

Sep 12: Protesting against ambitious 560-million dollar Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project; several Hindu organisation has called three hours road blockage across the country as the apex court had ordered to demolish the so called Ram Sethu, if it comes in the way of the project. The Hindu organisations include Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal were protesting to demolishing the bridge quoting it as the asset and pride of the ‘Hindu’ and Indian history. The bandh (road blockage) was called today’s morning at 8 am across the country. The main highways and over-bridges were heavy rushed due to this bandh.

The Hindu organisations include VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP today organised a three hours ‘chakkajam’ in all the major passage of the country especially Delhi, Mumbai, Agra and Indore. VHP said, “The sacred sethu should not be touched, it is related to the sentiments of the Hindu”. They have blocked the road Western Expressway in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Haryana's Karnal district, Agra, Chandigarh, Jammu, Indore, Patna and at 20 flyovers in the Capital, while Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, ABVP has jammed Tavi bridge in Jammu and Bajrang Dal activists attempted to halt a train in Indore, according to report comes across the country.

Several prominent leaders has been arrested for blocking road, but later all the leading leaders were freed. The Hindu organisations were also protesting the government, the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi, the president of Congress. There were some reports of statue burning of Prime leader of Congress.

“It was a mistake on part of the former NDA government to sanction the Sethusamudram project as it cannot be completed without demolishing the ancient Ram Setu”, said Gouri Prashad Rath, the General Secretary of VHP Orissa unit. As the previous government National Democratic Alliance had passed the bill of this project.

Asking this question to BJP leaders, “Though BJP had passed this project in its ruling time, why are you protesting now?” “At that time we don’t know much about this project and we were unaware that the holy bridge might be in danger for completing the project. We have now come to know about the truth of the project”, said a BJP leader in New Delhi.

As it is known that NDA had passed this project to reduce the distance for the commercial ships that have to go around the whole Sri Lanka. This becomes the cause of 36 hours of wasting time for the freights. The dredging for the project began in 2005 and the channel would provide a crucial link between the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar. The estimate size of the canal will be 12 metres deep, 300 metres wide and almost 90 km long that will save the 36 hours of long journey of the freights.

The people across the country are facing lots of problem according to reports coming from various regions of the country. People of the capital has to face a huge jam in the entire city as there were massive road blockage in all premier crossings and over-bridges in the capital. Shakti Nagar, Uttam Nagar, Sector 6 Dwarka, Ring Road near Lajpat Nagar, Mukarba chowk, Magolpuri flyover, Raja Garden crossing, Nangloi chowk, Khajoori chowk, Liberty cinema, Anand Parbat-Sarai Rohilla flyover, Shastri Park crossing, New Delhi Railway Station, Green Park-Yusuf Sarai crossing, Nizammuddin flyover, Akshardham temple, Vikas Marg, old Yamuna iron bridge, Ashok Vihar, Kadkadooma flyover, Vikas Marg and Madhuban Chowk are the main location where the bandh has affected worse, according to reports.