Major tasks accomplished in North after five years - G.A. Chandrasiri

by P. Krishnaswamy

Civil administration, the law and order situation , democratic governance and every aspect of the day-to-day life of the people were in total disarray in the Northern province plagued by the three-decade long terrorism at the time retired security forces' commander Maj.Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri was appointed Governor of the province soon after the military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009.

The tasks that lay before him on channelling government assistance for restoring peace, democracy, civil administration and law and order, providing accommodation, food and other facilities to the hundreds of thousands of displaced people, their subsequent resettlement and restoration of the infrastructure were herculean. Five years on after his appointment as the Governor of the province to carry out these duties, he has accomplished most of it.

All five districts of the Northern province are now back on their right track, on par with the other provinces of the country. With civil administration and the infrastructure fully restored, all democratic, educational and health institutions functioning, people resettled in their original homesteads with socio-economic activities are gaining momentum.

The credit goes to him as the top representative of the Government who carried out his duties conscientiously under the directions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Cabinet Ministers, working in coordination with all civil administrators and government officials.

Governor Chandrasiri told the Sunday Observer in a brief interview that in his capacities as Security Forces Commander for Jaffna, Chief of Staff of the Army and Governor of the Province his prime concern was protecting the people and ensuring their welfare. No one can deny that even as Security Forces Commander for Jaffna he worked in coordination with the Government Agent (GA), Jaffna and extended his support and cooperation for the execution of civil administration while curbing terrorism and fully focussing on the safety and welfare of the people, he said.

Even after the Provincial Council (PC) was established in September 2013, he did not confine himself to the ceremonial duties of approving statutes and overlooking the functions of the PC but instead he went beyond and was successful in implementing many of his own plans for the benefit of the people. Utilising the funds left with the Governor's Trust Fund (GTF) and the limited number of staff available at his disposal, he implemented many of his own plans. An amount Rs.650,000 was disbursed from the GTF for the promotion of cultural and religious activities in the province. The Manipallava Kala Mandapam (Arts Centre) at Nainativu was constructed under this program. A photographic exhibition and workshop for the benefit of media personnel and professional photographers was held in Jaffna at an expenditure of Rs.12,00,000.

A Governor's Trophy Chess competition was held for school children at a cost of Rs.1,846,806, Governor Chandrasiri said.

A Governor's Trophy English Debate competition was held for students of all leading schools in Jaffna at an expenditure of Rs.802,572.

He is working on several other projects with fund disbursement from the GTF, but his major focus at present is on developing a Children's Park and Adventure Park at the Old Park in Chundukuli, Jaffna. First stage work has been completed while work on the second stage is in progress, he said. Equipment for the park, ordered from China, are arriving and a grand opening of the park will be held today, he said. The expenditure is Rs. 2 Mn, he said.

He ensured that the billions of rupees pumped for the Northern province development was utilised properly without giving room for any complaints of misappropriation. Shifting the office from Trincomalee to Jaffna was done very meticulously and carefully over a period of six months, he said.

With his illustrious career background, his industrious demeanour and imagination, he hopes to do much more for the people of the Northern province, especially in the field of education, he said.