By Walter Jayawardhana

Sri Lanka has sought the assistance of India to rehabilitate and repair the important Northern harbor of kankesanturai (KKS).

In a recent meeting held at the Indian High Commission in Colombo the Sri Lanka Ports Authority submitted a list of assistance Sri lanka is expecting from her Northern neighbor to make the harbor fully suitable for navigation for her ships.

First, the KKS harbor was damaged by the Tsunami and thereafter due to the security situation the harbor could not be fully restored.

The Sri Lankan Army captured the harbor from the control of the LTTE in 1995 and the Sri Lankan security forces have a heavy presence at the harbor ever since. During the occupation of the land mass by the LTTE KKS harbor became an important factor of transportation to the peninsula.

Due to the close proximity to the Indian coast KKS is also considered strategically important to India.

India is also expected to pull out several shipwrecks from the harbor that sank off the KKS coast.

The breakwater of the KKS harbor was severely damaged by the Tsunami. Sri Lanka Ports Authority thinks that india could assist Sri Lanka in dredging the port and repairing the breakwater.