Five years of development - Kilinochchi district:

Resettlement goes on apace

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Rebuilding an area devastated by a prolonged war for nearly three decades and readjusting the minds of those who had experienced a gun culture for decades to take up the development challenges within relatively a short time-frame, is not an easy task.

Unlike the people in other parts of the country the people in Kilinochchi had to undergo the worst ever experience in the three-decade long conflict in the country.

There was little hope for development for the war-battered population lived in this terrain under worst living conditions. They were very much accustomed to pack up their belongings and move from one place to the other, with the shiffing of the theatre of battle at irregular internals.

During the past few years when intense battles were raging in the Wanni even the local towns in the district were shifted to different locations.

Therefore, the reality of having permanent buildings such as schools, hospitals, administrative blocks to cater to the day to day needs of the community was far from their thinking during the bitter battles fought by the Security Forces against the LTTE terrorists to liberate the Tamil population from the clutches of terrorism during the past few years.

Even today the damaged water tank in the centre of Kilinochchi town and the partly-constructed hospital buildings resemble the agony the people had to undergo during the past few years at the hands of the brutal terrorists.

To rise above all these odds seeds of prosperity have been planted in this fertile land with its liberation last year giving hope for the war-battered community returning to their homesteads.

The district comprises four Divisional Secretariat Divisions namely Karachchi, Kandawalai, Poonakary and Pachchilaipallai which include. Ninety five Grama Niladari Divisions.

According to the Kilinochchi District Secretariat the resettlement of displaced people was commenced in Karachchi, Poonakary and Pachchilaipallai Divisional Secretariat Divisions, sometime ago.After months long stay in the welfare camps the people from Kanagapuram, Jeyanthinagar, Periyaparanthan, Urithirupuram East, Thirunagar South, Thirunagar North, Uthayanagar East, Uthayanagar West, Sivanagar and Paranthan in the Karachchi DS divisions have been resettled in their old homes.

More than 5334 people belonging to 1731 families have already been resettled in these 10 villages.

The villages of the Nallur, Alankerny, Kollakurichchi, Gananimadam, Madduvilnadu East, Pallikuda, Madduvilandu East, Paramankirai, Gowtharimunai, Jeyapuram North, Jeyapuram South, Kariyalainagapaduvan, Pallavarayankaddu, Mulankavil, Kiranchi, Nachchikuda, Ponnaveli and Iranativu have also been cleared of mines for the resettlement.

According to Kilinochchi Government Agent 18,874 people belonging to 5631 families have already been resettled in the 19 villages in the Poonakary DS Division in the Kilinochchi district. Another 41, 834 people belonging to 10417 families are yet to be resettled in these villages.

“Apart from these two Divisional Secretariat Divisions we have also commenced resettlement in the Pachchilaipallai DS Division and pallai area as well”, the Northern Province Governor Major General (retd) G.A. Chandrasiri said.

Emphasizing the need to accelerate the process of uplifting the living standards of the resettled people the Government has given priority for the rapid development of the Kilinochchi district.

Therefore, the 180-day development program “ Vadakkil Vasanthan’ initiated under Presidential Special Task Force for Rehabilitation and Resettlement headed by the Senior Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa, has brought new hopes for the people returning to their old villages.

According to the Northern Province Governor, the renovation, reconstruction and rehabilitation activities have to be commenced at grass roots level as almost all infrastructure facilities were damaged by the terrorists.

Therefore, top priority has been given to de-mining activities to facilitate and speed up the resettlement process while construction, reconstruction and improvement of schools, hospitals, roads and the transport sector is in progress.

Accordingly resettlement process is now in progress along the Mannar-Pooneryn A-32 road, Pooneryn-Paranthan road and the areas between the A-32 road and A-9 road which come under Kilinochchi district.The reopening of the two main supply routes A-9 and the A-32 has become immensely help for to the people returning to their old villages as they do not feel isolated in the terrain.

Villages like Jeyapuram, Nachchikuda, Mulankavil, Pooneryn, Periyaparanthan which created the stage for deadly battles during the humanitarian operation are now getting populated with the return of civilians to their old villages.

The Government machinery with the help of various government agencies and INGOs and NGOs is actively engaged in facilitating the resettled people and bringing their lives back to normal.According to the Northern Province Governor the Sri Lanka Army is extending their fullest cooperation to the resettled people in assisting them to erect temporary houses until their damaged houses are repaired or reconstructed.

The Sri Lanka Army has constructed 849 houses in Kiranchi , Veravil and Jeyapuram for the newly resettled people.

“We should be thankful to the Sri Lanka Army for coming forward to assist the resettled people by constructing temporary houses within a very short time frame”, Northern Governer (rtd) G.A. Chandrasiri said.

“Not only they are building temporary houses for the resettled families, they are also assisting the resettlement program by evacuating their camps from public buildings and private houses. Alternative accommodation have been provided for such camps in pre-fabricated buildings made available by the Government”, the Governor added.

According to Government officials Rs.462 million have been allocated last year to improve the infrastructure facilities such as health, education, roads, irrigation and drinking water for the resettled people.

Nine schools in the Karachchi Division and 18 schools in the Poonakary Division are now functioning to provide education for more than 5,000 students among the resettled people. Nearly 600 teachers have reported back to their respective schools after their reopening.The NECORD II project has identified 15 schools including Kilinochchi Central College and Kilinochchi Maha Vidyalaya to be renovated with immediate effect. The UN Agencies and the communities outside the North and the East have come forward to provide furniture for the re-opened schools.

Twenty six co-operative outlets, 6 in the Karachchi Division and 20 in the Poonakary Division have been opened to cater to the people already resettled in the Kilinochchi district.

Five hospitals, three in Karachchi Division including Kilinochchi General hospital and three in Poonakary Division are functioning to look after the health needs of the public.

The recruitment of more doctors, nursing officers, midwives and public health inspectors to fill the existing vacancies has to be done on priority basis, the sources said.

The Ceylon Transport Board along with private bus operators have largely improved the public transportation in the district. Buses are regularly plying to such destinations as Jaffna and Vavuniya.

A project has been launched to repair thousands of push bicycles, motorbicycles and other vehicles left behind by the displaced people when they were fleeing the conflict zone, Governor Chandrasiri added.

Following a discussion held at the Kilinochchi Security Forces Commanders Headquarters, recently arrangements have been made to transport 500 two wheel tractors, 1000 four wheel tractors, 30 harvesters, a large number of water pumps, thousands of bicycles and other agricultural equipment from Mullaitivu to be repaired and distributed among the people.

According to the Governor more than 15,000 push cycles, 2,500 motorbikes are there to be repaired and distributed among the people. The Government has also concentrated on the development of agriculture in the district to enable the people to cultivate their paddy lands and grow vegetables and other crops.

“A major project using Iranamadu tank will be implemented under JICA assistance to irrigate the land in the Kilinochchi district and to provide drinking water for the people in the Jaffna peninsula by constructing a canal across the Jaffna lagoon”, the Governor said.

Seven irrigation projects including reconstruction of irrigation quarters, repairing Iranamadu tank, sluice improvement of main canal of Iranamadu tank, urgent work in Puthumurippu tank and Akkarayan tank in Karachchi Division have already been undertaken at a cost of Rs.25 million.

Measures have also been taken to cultivate 2000 acres of abandoned paddy lands using the water of Iranamadu tank by the newly resettled people in Poonakary and Karachchi divisions.

“We are doing our best to provide all that is required by the resettled people to make their lives better”, Governor G.A. Chandrasiri assured. As de-mining activities are in progress in the East of A-9 road in the Kilinochchi district, its residents will get the opportunity to restart their lives.

New vistas of development are awaiting the people in the Kilinochchi district as Government is keen on starting new industries in the district to provide a better future for the people who had experienced gun culture for the past three decades.