{"id":119853,"date":"2021-11-01T15:41:52","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T22:41:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=119853"},"modified":"2021-11-01T15:41:52","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T22:41:52","slug":"erasing-the-eelam-victory-pt-19-h","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/11\/01\/erasing-the-eelam-victory-pt-19-h\/","title":{"rendered":"ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY PT 19 H"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

The\ngovernment of Sri Lanka took much trouble over the development of the north\nafter the Eelam war ended. The government called it development initiatives to\nimprove the quality of life for conflict affected returnee communities in the\nNorth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahinda Rajapaksa\ninitiated many improvements such as houses, roads and bridges. 15,000 wells\nwere cleaned or renovated to provide safe drinking water. Major hospitals were\nrenovated, provide with additional facilities at great expense. Families were given\nassistance to commence economic operations. Each family was given a package of\nassistance, of not less than Rs 35,000. Paddy cultivation, food crops, dairy\nfarming, goat rearing and backyard poultry were encouraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014 The Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) organized an Open\nForum to share the findings of a 6-year research programme carried out by CEPA\nfor the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC), exploring how resettled\ncommunities in selected areas in the North and East of Sri Lanka, have fared,\nduring the \u2018postwar\u2019 phase in accessing basic services, social protection and\nlivelihoods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This essay\nlooks at improvements after 2015. Yahapalana government greatly helped the\nnorth. First of all, Yahapalana government provided Samurdhi to north, which\ndid not have it before. This was a   very\nvaluable service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2016 Government\nallocated Rs 14 billion for high impact resettlement project in north and east\nfor war affected families. This was to be implemented by the Prisons and rehabilitation\nministry, under Minister Swaminathan. In August 2016 Yahapalana government said\nit had allocated Rs    8000 million for\nresettlement progamme, for those in camps as well as 10,000 more living with\nfriends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were 31\nwelfare camps in Jaffna district and 936 families consisting of 3260\nmembers.  682 families within this group did\nnot own land or houses. Yahapalana stated that  \nit was going to close down the IDP camps and offer houses, land to build\nown houses and provide financial assistance to built houses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 There is a housing programme to build 9000\nhousing units for IDPs, 630 for refugee returning families, 400 in former\nthreatened villages. 3140 houses in Jaffna district, 1035 in Kilinochchi\ndistrict, 1035 in Mullaitivu, 1140 in Mannar, 910 in Vavuniya. Also 2 lakhs per\nhouse was provided for repairing damaged houses. There were 729 damages house\ninjaffna120 Kilinochchi, 170 Mullaitivu, 200 Mannar, 50 Vavuniya. Rs 480\nmillion has been allocated for this. Rs 100 million allocate for water supply\nprojects, continued Yahapalana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ministry\nprovided the following breakdown. in Jaffna they have constructed houses with\ntoilets for IDPs 3140  houses,  renovation 720 houses, financial assistance\nworth Rs. one lakh each to   3000\nfamilies, construction or renovation of \naround 200 wells,  over 5 million\nspent on roads in Jaffna. In Kilinochchi\nnew houses and toilets 1035, renovation 120, livelihood assistance of Rs. one\nlakh each 1600 families, new toilets for 1000 families.  Also well and water connections, roads and assistance\nto  hospitals and  schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mullaitivu\nit was new houses and toilets 1035, renovation 170, livelihood assistance of Rs.\none lakh each for  families, 1500, new\ntoilets for 1000 families. Also roads, schools, medical care units, paddy\nstore. In Mannar new houses and toilets 1140, renovation 200, livelihood assistance\n1600, new toilets 1000, well, roads, school buildings, hospitals, electricity\nconnections and other infrastructure facilities.  In Vavuniya new houses and toilets 910,\nrenovation 50, livelihood assistance \n1500, new toilets 1000  roads, school\nbuildings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Title deeds\nwere handed over to 190 families who had been temporarily settled in Sidhamabarapuram\nIDP camp .They were now given deeds to the lands. Eleven new houses were handed\nover in Pookkulam, Wanathavillu district. The main road to Pookklum village was\nalso developed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017\nMinistry of national integration and reconciliation advertised proposal for\n50,000 brick and mortar type housing programme for north and east for conflict\naffected families. Puttalam, Vanathavilluwa, Panadhurawatha Mangalapura area\nwas given a new electivity connection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the development of the health services in the north, Rs. 5\nbillion in 2016 and Rs. 33 billion in 2017 was allocated. 68 primary health\ncare facilities in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu, including\nOPD, MOH offices, were provided by 2017. These were funded by the Global Fund.\nGlobal Fund also spent Rs. 33 million to construct the new MOH office at Maradankerni.\nelanai Rural Hospital and Chankanai Divisional Hospital in Jaffna were upgraded\nat the cost of 6.8 million rupees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yahapalana government also planned to provide a new accident and\nemergency care hospital, a fully-fledged child and maternity hospital and a new\nkidney hospital for the north.  A new\ncancer hospital will be constructed at Thalippalei and a rehabilitation\nhospital at Mankulam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016 the\ngovernment planned to develop about 15,000 km of road in the north and east and\nof which 700 km will be for Jaffna district. In\n2017 The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for the rehabilitation and\nupgrading of 66 roads in Northern and Eastern Provinces based on a Cabinet\nMemorandum submitted by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. This was a long-felt\nneed of the Northern and Eastern Provinces which were affected by conflict over\na period of 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under this\nproject in the Jaffna District, roads such as Valukkaiyaru Punguduththivu –\nKurikadduwan Road, Jaffna Manipai- Karainagar Road and Punnalai – Point Pedro\nRoad, Eluthumadduwal \u2013 Nagarkovil Road including many Road Development\nAuthority, Road Development Department \nand rural roads. Nainathivu and Kurikadduwan Jetties are to be rehabilitated.\nIn the Kilinochchi District, roads such as Murikandi Kanagapuram Paranthan Road\nand in the Mullaitivu District the bridge across Kokkilai lagoon, Vadduvaikal\nbridge, and Vattapalai main road and in the Mannar District, Mahilankulam\nPallamadhu Road, Peramanalankulam Road, and Periyapandivirichan Road \u2013 Mullikulam\nRoad and in Batticaloa Kiran bridge, Santhiveli Thikiliveddai bridge and Marine\nDrive Batticaloa \u2013 Kalkuda Road will be rehabilitated and upgraded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private\nsocial services organizations also moved to help the north. In 2016 Sarinda\nUnamboowe and Nathan Sivagananathan started cross-country\nfundraising walk from Dondra in 2011 to raise funds for USD one million to build\nan extension to the Tellipallai Jaffna hospital as a cancer treatment\nunit.  They got much support. Now they\nare doing this in reverse to raise USD 5 million for built a cancer treatment\nunit at Karapitiya teaching hospital, Galle, reported the media in 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nFoundation of Goodness has worked relentlessly in 2011 to make a difference to\nthe lives of people in the Northern Provinces of Sri Lanka, which were\ndevastated by the 30 year civil war. Working in the Mankulam, Kilinochchi,\nMullaitivu, Jaffna and Eastern areas of Sri Lanka since January 2011, the\nFoundation of Goodness has positively affected over 25,729 beneficiaries\nthrough a variety of projects and programmes including the gifting of 7,816\nessential school packs, 3,722 bicycles and the betterment of countless lives\nthrough livelihood programmes, sports workshops, agricultural provision,\nessential food package distribution, school infrastructure projects (library,\ncomputer and sanitation), and the gifting of essential household items,\nclothing, computers for girls, musical instruments for school children and\nsports equipment. The Foundation set up the North Learning & Empowerment\nInstitute’ in Panikkankulam in the Mankulam Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

App\u00e9 Lanka is\na project which aims to help the people of Poonekary achieve sustainable\ndevelopment Poonekary, is a small village west of Kilinochchi With a population\nof about 19,000. Many of the villagers earn their living through farming or\nfishing. After suffering from years of devastation following three decades of\nwar, they face many challenges in rebuilding their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rural\ndevelopment project which began in 2015, Appe Lanka has been endorsed by the\nMinistry of Resettlement and Reconstruction. The programme was initiated by\nShaan Corea. The project\nhas four main goals \u2013 providing renewable energy, psychological empowerment,\nraising awareness and improving livelihoods. As a part of their first goal, a\npilot project providing renewable energy to 28 households has already been\nsuccessfully completed. They plan to provide renewable energy to all the\nhouseholds in Poonekary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

App\u00e9 Lanka\norganized a bike drive to raise the money for 150 bicycles to help such\nstudents stay in school, with people having already pledged enough funds for\nthe bicycles. There were many people ready to support the project including\nBishops College, S. Thomas\u2019 College and Ladies\u2019 College that joined as the\nschool partners. App\u00e9 Lanka is here to stay in Poonekary , reported the media\nin 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nYahapalana government did not forget economic development . Karainagar was to\ngets a new     fishing boat yard costing\n285 million.  There was to be a coconut\nrehabilitation programme. Over 18500 acres of coconut land in north will be\nrehabilitated and 25400 new coconut lands this will be done by the Coconut Cultivation\nBoard of the Coconut Development Authority. Treasury will provide 650 million\nand balance 2650 million be will foreign investments said the media in 2016 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firms were\nencouraged to move into the North. Hirdramani open Rs 450 million factory in Puthukkudiyiruppu.\nBuddhi batiks conducted a CSR project for war widows in Batticaloa and Vavuniya\nto design woven shawls. Sustainable Green Energy a  Sri Lanka company  was to start a bamboo cultivation project in\nnorth in Vavuniya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pelawatte\ndairy planned to  invest Rs 1.5 billion\nin three fresh milk processing plants in North, there are several abandoned\nmilk producing factories in the north east which could be developed with employment\nfor 200 persons, said Pelawatte. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sri Lanka\nExport Development Board  launched the\nfirst in a series of awareness programmes in Jaffna in March 2017 to  enable regional exporters to explore new\nopportunities, set up and develop new enterprises to enter global markets. The\nNorthern region with an abundance of natural resources in terms of minerals,\nagricultural produce, fisheries, offer innumerable opportunities for export\ndevelopment in agro based industries, fisheries, lifestyle product, IT and\nTourism sectors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government encouraged foreign firms to invest in the north.\nThe 1st<\/sup> ever Northern province investment forum in 2016has attracted over Rs 3315 million\ndollars investments in 2016. This has led to a 209 billion solar power in\nVavuniya, apparel factory in Kilinochchi \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vinay R.\nSharma, Chairman, Exhibition Council Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India\n(ASSOCHAM) said that Indian entrepreneurs are keen to set up joint ventures and\nrevive sick industries in the North.  The\nmain draw in the North is that the area offers plenty of virgin land and unprecedented\nbusiness opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pohottu\ngovernment of 2019  is continuing the\ngood work. The Second Phase of construction of 100 Rural\nTownships programme in the country was intiated in the Velani DS Division in\nthe Jaffna District in 2021. <\/strong>182 title deeds for houses\nconstructed by the Re-Settlement Ministry were handed over and the construction\nwork of another 32 new houses under the housing programme was started in July\n2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, the\nwater needs of the north were attended to by the Jaffna-Kilinochchi\nWater Supply Project\u201d of the National\nWater Supply and Drainage Board with the financial assistance of the Asian\nDevelopment Bank.  the scheme consists of Nagadeepa\nSeawater Treatment Plant, Thalaiyadi Seawater Treatment Plant and Jaffna Town\nDistribution System.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nagadeepa\nDrinking Water Treatment Plant will provide safe drinking water through\npipelines to 6,000 beneficiaries belonging to 1500 households in the Nagadeepa,\nIluvativu and Analathivu islands. The cost for this is Rs. 187 million. The\nsecond phase of this project that is, laying of 25 Kilometer length pipeline\nsystem for transmitting water to the islands of Nagadeepa, Iluwathivu and\nAnalathivu from the Nagadeepa Treatment System will also commence parallel. The\nestimated cost for this is Rs. 34 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thalaiyadi\nSeawater Treatment Plant which is being constructed at a huge cost of about Rs.\n19,000 water to a population of about 60,000 living in 12,000 households.\nThalaiyadi Water Purification System will also be constructed parallel to this\nwhich provides pipe borne water for the Jaffna City Limits and suburbs and the\ncost of the project is Rs. 3,160 million. It has been able to provide safe\npiped water facilities to a population of about 60,000 people belonging to\n28,000 families. The length of this system is 271 kilometers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a lack\nof Post Offices and Sub Post Offices in the Northern Province, including the\nKilinochchi District. This would be resolved as soon as possible said Pohottu\ngovernment. The required number of Post Offices and Sub Post Offices for the\nProvince including Kilinochchi have not been established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drinking\nwater problem of the Jaffna Peninsula will be solved by more than 50% and this\nwill benefit about 300,000 families only in the first phase. ONUR gave rainwater\nharvesting tanks to Jaffna and Kilinochchi   ( Continued) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS The government of Sri Lanka took much trouble over the development of the north after the Eelam war ended. The government called it development initiatives to improve the quality of life for conflict affected returnee communities in the North.\u201d Mahinda Rajapaksa initiated many improvements such as houses, roads and bridges. 15,000 wells were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119853\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}