President to commission Kokavil tower tomorrow

by Mohammed NAALIR

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will commission South East Asia's tallest multi-purpose transmission tower at Kokavil in Kilinochchi tomorrow. The height of the tower is 174 metres.

When the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) was set up in 1982 the Japanese engineers selected two locations to set up transmission stations - Kokavil for North and at Pidurutalagala for the rest of the country.

A 100 metre high transmission tower was set up in Kokavil. The Kokavil tower was destroyed in 1990 by LTTE terrorists, Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary W.B. Ganegala said.

Addressing the media at Mass Media and Information Ministry Ganegala said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa to reconstruct this tower under the Uthuru Wasanthaya Northern development drive.

The foundation stone for the tower was laid in 2009 by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and the then Mass Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

The material for the tower were brought from China. Amidst various difficulties Sri Lankan engineers, tower constructors and workers successfully completed the construction work.

The new tower will have the capacity for digital television and radio transmissions, telecommunication and military communication. Thus it is called a multi-purpose transmission tower, according to Ganegala.

He said that the Government has decided to introduce latest digital technology to Sri Lanka from Kokavil tower. The Northern people will experience the benefits of digital technology before the end of this year.

The tower will cover the entire Northern region beyond Anuradhapura.

Transmissions will be carried out using the latest digital technology, the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)-T2 technology.

The people in the northern region are deprived of correct Information as they get only commercial programs telecast by South Indian television channels. The new tower will keep them informed of the latest development projects implemented by the Government and further build mutual understanding between the North and the South, Ganegala added.