VHP once again warned Centre over Rama Sethu - Chalk jam hits rail, roads in Orissa

bhubaneswar (VISAKEO): Thousands of activists of the RSS, VHP, BJP, Bajrang Dal and AVBP blocked roads and stopped trains in several places across State to protest the Sethusamudram canal project that they say will destroy a 'bridge' held sacred in Hindu mythology. Activists blocked roads across the State from 8am to 11 am and the strike has been successful. Train service also affected due to chalk jam. BJP State president Suresh Pujari led protests in Bhubaneswar while hundreds of activists led by BJP MP Jual Oram staged protests at the steel city of Rourkela. Similarly, VHP State secretary Gouri Prasad Rath led the chalk jam at Balasore and VHP State organising secretary Tanmaya Mohapatra led the protests in Cuttack followed by Golekha Chandra Behera led the protests in Kendrapara. Roads were blocked in at least a dozen places in Bhubaneswar, leading to traffic jams. Activists also stopped several trains in Jatani, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Khurda, Puri, Ganjam, Berhampur, Sundargarh, Malkangiri, Dhenkanal, Angul, Sambalpur and in the State capital, apart from other towns. The VHP claims that the canal project, that will cut shipping time in the southern tip of India, would damage the Adam's Bridge or Ram Sethu, that many Hindus claim was built by the monkey brigade to enable Ram to reach then Lanka (now Sri Lanka) to rescue his wife Sita from the clutches of demon king Ravana. It also claimed that US space agency NASA had the bridge in the Indian Ocean carbon dated as being 1.7 million years old. However, NASA and Indian scientists say the 'bridge' was nothing but a natural string of underwater coral reefs. Meanwhile, just two days after the down to dusk bandh called by the Congress led Opposition Parties, commuters in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack had a harrowing time reaching their destinations due to road blockade at various places by VHP activists as part of their nationwide protest against Government's decision to go ahead with the Sethu Samudram project.  Vehicular movement across the city was affected with traffic snarls witnessed at Vani Vihar Square, Master Canteen Square, Khandgiri Square, Samanrapur Square and Rasulgarh Square, Kalpana Square. Police personnel in large numbers were deployed on streets to regulate the traffic. A number of activists, including some local leaders of VHP and BJP were also detained.