President to open Kokavil tower on Monday [June 04 2011]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will ceremonially open South East Asia’s highest multi-purpose transmission tower constructed at Kokavil in Kilinochchi on Monday. 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 Pidurutalagala for other areas. A 100 metre high transmission tower was set up in Kokavil.

The Entire North was covered by Kokavil transmission tower and the remaining 75 percent of the country was covered by Piduruthalagala transmission tower. Unfortunately the Kokavil tower was destroyed in 1990 by LTTE terrorists, Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary W.B. Ganegala said.

The newly erected 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.