After 20 years:

Food via A-9

by Ananth PALAKIDNAR

For the first time in twenty years, an organised convoy of forty lorries carrying essential food stuffs will leave for the Jaffna Peninsula from Colombo via A-9 highway tomorrow.

Commissioner General of Essential Services, S. Divaratne told the Sunday Observer that transporting food items via A-9 high way was a very significant development in bridging the North and the South since the Security Forces gained full control of the A-9 highway last month.

“Forty lorries carrying 400 metric tonnes of food items containing rice, sugar, dhal and others will leave the Welisara warehouse for Jaffna tomorrow. The security clearance will be done at the Welisara warehouse where the lorries will be sealed once the goods are loaded.

The convoy to be escorted to Jaffna via A-9, is expected to reach its destination at Kaithady, on the same day.

The Government Agent of Jaffna K. Ganesh will receive the consignment,” the Commissioner General of Essential Services said.

According to Government Agent’s office in Jaffna the arrangements have been made for the goods to be stored at the Kaithady warehouse from where it will be transferred to Kandavil stores to be distributed among the recipients in the peninsula.

Two convoys of food will be sent to Jaffna every week, the Commissioner General of Essential Services said.

The Jaffna district Parliamentarian and the Minister of Social Services Douglas Devananda told the Sunday Observer that he was extremely thankful to President Mahinda Rajapaksa in expediting the process of giving the green light to the transportation of essential food stuffs to the Peninsula via A-9 highway.

“The LTTE all these years had denied the A-9 high way to the civilians. Even during the brief ceasefire period from 2002 to 2006 the terrorist outfit extorted millions of rupees by allowing the transportation via A-9 for civilian purposes. However, with the Government gaining the full control of the A-9 highway at the beginning of this year, I see the dawn of a bright future for the Jaffna civilians,” Minister Devananda said.

He also added that shortly arrangements would also be made for civilian transportation between Jaffna and the South.

Meanwhile the Catholic Bishop of Jaffna Rt.Rev. Thomas Savuntharanayagam commenting on the clearing of A-9 road for civilian travel said that it was a significant development in easing the hardships of the Northerners and bridging the gap between the North and the South which remained a distant dream for the past several years.

“The prices of food stuffs which were exorbitant in the Peninsula for the past several years are also expected to come down drastically.