Plans under way for Katchchaitivu facelift

by P. Krishnaswamy

Katchchaitivu, the uninhabited island off Jaffna which annually draws thousands of pilgrims to its historic Catholic shrine and renowned as a convenient rendezvous for relatives across the Palk Strait will be developed as a tourism-oriented ‘Pilgrimage Island’ Minister Douglas Devananda, MP for Jaffna told the Sunday Observer.

All infrastructure will be laid and facilities will be provided for the pilgrims , including resorts, transport, communication and running water, he said.

The awarding of tenders to contractors on this project is now under way , the Minister said, adding that the Government’s desire to develop it under the ‘pilgrimage-concept’ much earlier was hampered due to the heavy presence of the LTTE who used it as a safe haven for their anti-social and smuggling operations.

One part of the island will be developed as a fishing hub with all modern facilities considering its surrounding fertile fishing grounds, the Minister said.

The Delft Island inhabited by about 5000 people, some of them descendants of the Dutch, will also be developed as a major tourist destination, he said.

The island was named by the Dutch after a city in their country has many exotic features resembling Netherlands of the yesteryear.

The presence of a large number of ponies, including Ferrel ponies, is a special feature, he said. The reclamation and renovation work on this project has already begun on the basis of a Master Plan jointly formulated by him and the Northern Province Governor Maj.Gen. G.A.Chandrasiri , he said.

The 50 sq. km island has many buildings modelled after the Dutch architecture of the colonial period, has five major tanks, 42 ponds and a canal system constructed by the Dutch.

Its potential as an attractive tourist destination came into focus of the Government after peace was restored in the Northern province. Many more similar projects to benefit the offshore islands will be undertaken, he said.

By sea the Delft Island is in close proximity to Kalpitiya and Mannar, which too are being developed as tourist destinations, he said.