Development projects in full swing:

New chapter unfolds in Kilinochchi

By P. Krishnaswamy reporting from Kilinochchi

January 5, 2009, the day the government forces captured Kilinochchi from the grip of the LTTE terrorists and hoisted the national flag marked the dawn of a new chapter in the life of the people of the district who had borne the brunt of terrorism for three decades.

Kilinochchi Railway Station

Shopping complex

New Kilinochchi Secretariat building

A-9 Road

The LTTE had based its administrative hub, kangaroo court, de facto headoffice and an exploitive tax system entangling the people in its tyrannical web. The entire population of the district was displaced and lived as displaced refugees in Manik Farm Welfare Centres until the process of resettlement in their original places of residence began soon after the annihilation of terrorism from the face of the country in May 2009.

Kilinochchi District Secretary/ Government Agent (GA) Ms Rubawathi Ketheeswaran told the Sunday Observer that with the beginning of the resettlement process of displaced people in December 2009, the Government's development programs for the district came into implementation. Tremendous development projects have been implemented since then at a staggering allocation of Rs. 45,000 million, she said. De-mining has been completed in virtually all residential areas and the resettled people have returned to their livelihood professions in an atmosphere of peace, brotherhood and democracy. Marked improvements have been observed in the fields of education and health with all schools and hospitals fully functional, she said. The provision of infrastructure facilities, mainly the road networks in all areas and power supply, have also improved considerably, she said. Providing livelihood facilities under the Divi Neguma program and employment/training facilities are also the focus of the government, she said. A technical training college of the caliber of the Sri Lanka German Technical College in Ratmalana is to be started soon in Kilinochchi for the benefit of the unemployed youth in the district, she said.

The new building for the Kilinochchi secretariat that has been constructed at a cost of over Rs.200 Mn will be declared open next month under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, she said adding that this will mark an important milestone in the provision infrastructure facilities for the civil administration of the district. The district secretariat did not have a building of its own until now, she said.

The Iranamadu water supply scheme is a major step towards addressing the irrigation and drinking water requirement of the people of the Kilinochchi district and some other areas of the neighbouring Jaffna district but the scheme that has mostly been completed at huge expenditure, is temporarily stalled due to farmer's agitations, she said.

The total cost of the project is US $ 29.32 million and the command area is 8,555 ha in the Karachchi and Kandawala Pradeshya Sabha (PS) divisions of the district. About 7000 families will be directly benefited under the project while a large number of families in other PS divisions and other districts of the Northern province will be benefited indirectly when the project is implementated, she said.

A proposal on possibilities of Mahaveli diversion to Iranamadu is also under the government's consideration, she said.

The farmers of Kilinochchi will benefit if either both or one of the projects are implemented, she said. Proposals are also in the pipeline for renovating more tanks to boost agriculture in the district in an effort to enhance the socio-economic welfare of the people. The tanks to be renovated will be identified, she said.

Planning Director of the district S. Mohanabavan told the Sunday Observer that the government's development programs were mainly focussed on uplifting educational standards of the children and providing them technical education taking into consideration the fact that the province was lagging behind in the educational sphere due to displacements of people and dilapidation of school buildings during the turbulent period.

Children had to sit in the open air under hazadous circumstances but now the situation is different, the Planning Director said. All schools in the district have been renovated or rebuilt and the children are receiving education in a peaceful atmosphere.

Speaking about the health sector, he said that not only all 13 hospitals in the district are fully functional after being rehabilitated and renovated, but most of the hostel buildings for doctors, nurses and other health staff have already been constructed while some are in the process of being constructed.

With the presence and support of the medical specialists and doctors also from the South, the health sector is performing well , Mohanabavan said.

To boost agricultural productivity, many programs have been implemented including renovation/rehabilitation of tanks, fertiliser subsidies and other facilities to the farmers and infrastructure facilities to the agricultural areas. Nine major and medium tanks including the Iranamadu tank have been renovated/rehabilitated and the farmers have been provided all assistance to engage in their traditional profession.

The Kalmadu tank was breached and badly damaged in the turbulence during the war on terrorism and it has been renovated with a fund allocation of Rs. 120 million from the Economic Development Ministry. An additional 1200 acres have been brought under cultivation after the renovation of the tank, he said. Three important tanks including the Pudumurippu tank and Akkarayankulam tank have been renovated at an expenditure of Rs. 110 million also allocated by the Ministry of Economic Development. All offices and buildings of the agriculture department have been rehabilitated and rendering services to the people, the Planning Director said.

Housing problem of the people has been solved to a great extent and even families that lived in makeshift shelters or huts now have houses of their own, Housing sec tor even the people who lived in huts other than those who had lost their houses . A majority to the people who had lost their houses also have their own houses now, he said. People who were allotted homestead plots but are awaiting registration of the plots in their names are in the list of families to be given housing assistance. More than 15,000 houses have already been constructed and given to deserving families who have the lands registered in their names and the district now needs about 8000 new houses and assistance for renovating 2,260 partly damaged houses, Saravanabavan said.

Many housing schemes are under implementation. Top priority was given to the Kilinochchi district under India's housing program for the displaced people and 8350 deserving families will get houses under the program.

They will include renovation of 1,000 partly damaged houses, he said. Under a pilot project 250 houses were constructed and have been given to families while more houses are now under construction, he said. Sunday fairs at many places are operating and damaged buildings have been renovated.

Construction of railway up to Palai and construction of the railway stations at Kilinochchi, Paranthan and Palai under the Government of India program have already been completed.

Many private sector industrial complexes, especially garment factories have already come up in Ariviyal Nagar, providing employment opportunities to about 2,000 women.

Universities and technical colleges, including the Sri Lanka-German Technical College, too are in the offing. Consequently a small railway station (a terminal) will be built and the funds have already been allocated by the Ministry of Economic Development, the Planning Director said.