Prices of essential commodities to drop sharply in North:

Private lorries to ply on A-9 highway

by P. Krishnaswamy

The Kandy-Jaffna A-9 highway will be opened for the first time in several years. Private traders will be permitted to operate their lorries and other convoys to the Northern peninsula from Thursday, a well-informed Government source said.

Up to now only State-owned vehicles were operating services on the A-9 highway transporting food, medicines and other essential items to the North. With this new arrangement, the prices of essential commodities are likely to come down sharply in the North.

There are about 300 private lorries registered with Government authorities to operate services to the North. These lorries will be checked by the security authorities before setting out and a certificate will also be issued.

Transport will be permitted between 6 am and 6 pm and the crew of the lorries will be cautioned that in case the vehicle breaks down they must keep away from areas bordering the roadsides which may be mined, the sources said.

Public transport conveyances and other private vehicles will be permitted to use the highway in due course after ensuring their complete safety from landmines and other security hazards, the sources also told the Sunday Observer.

Meanwhile, National Co-ordinator of Disaster Preparedness and Response Unit (DPRU) of the Health Ministry Dr. Eeshara Kottegoda told the Sunday Observer that the special operational room of the DPRU set up in March this year was functioning round-the-clock in the Health Ministry with three permanent medical officers, four other officials and three temporary medical officers to provide medical supplies and handle emergency health situations, especially relating to the IDPs, Dr. Kottegoda said. The Health Co-ordinating Centre at the Menikfarm Welfare village is functioning with a staff of about 300 including doctors, nurses, public health inspectors and others.

This and other facilities including Referral Centres and Primary Health Care Centres separately for each Welfare Village can handle the health requirements of over 170,000 IDPs and more such facilities are in the pipeline, he said.

Each of the four zones (welfare villages) has one Referral Centre and several Primary Health Care centres.

The Referral Centres have all medical equipment and facilities including OPD, clinic, laboratory, immunization and other facilities that are normally available in any Government hospital while the Primary Health Centres are functioning as Government dispensaries from dawn to dusk providing healthcare to the IDPs. Two more Primary Health Care Centres are under construction, he said.

There are problems relating to the supply of adequate water, garbage disposal and sanitation but the authorities concerned are working in co-ordination with the Health Ministry to address them, Dr. Kottegoda said.