Proposed bridge across Palk Straits: Adverse impact on bio-diversity and ethnic identity
In a previous comment I discussed the economic and sovereignty issues that may arise if the Indians revive a 2002 proposal for a land bridge over the Palk straits. Surprisingly, many Northern nationalists think that the opposition to the land bridge is a matter of ‘Sinhala chauvinism’. In fact, the entity most threatened by the bridge is the “Illankai-Thamil” culture. The distinctive flora and fauna of the island, evolved since the last glaciation are equally threatened. The robustness of eco- systems and communities is strengthened by their bio-diversity and complexity. Hence all tendencies to mono-cultures and bio-uniformity should be resisted.
