All set for demining - Senior Presidential Advisor:
No deliberate delay in resettlement
From Hiran SENEVIRATNE in Kokavil
Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP who is also the
Chairman of the Uthuru Vasanthaya program yesterday reiterated that the
full machinery was now in place to speed up the de-mining in the North
to resettle the displaced civilians as it is a prerequisite for the
resettlement of the displaced civilians safely.
He refuted allegations by the Opposition that the Government was
deliberately delaying the resettlement of IDPs saying that the delay was
only to ensure that the land is safe for resettlement through an intense
de-mining operation.
"There is no deliberate delay in the resettlement of IDPs as alleged
by certain elements," the MP added.
"We are inspecting every inch of land to ensure the safety of the
civilians that are going to be resettled in the former war zone areas,"
he added.
For this we are using all the techniques and technology and specially
trained dogs to clear the land mines.
He said that he personally inspected the de-mining process in the
Giant tank area in the Mannar district where de-mining is carried out
with the use of expert knowledge and latest technology to expedite the
process.
Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP made these
observations yesterday at a ceremony to lay the foundation for the
Kokavil transmission tower to improve telecommunication and mass
communication facilities in the entire Northern Province.
The Kokavil transmission tower will be an open tower to facilitate
the state and private sector TV and radio stations, telecommunication
providers both from the State and private sector and the communication
facilities for Security Forces and the Police in the Northern Province.
The project is a joint venture between the Telecommunication
Regulatory Commission and the Mass Media and Information Ministry.
The highest location in the entire Northern Province, Kokavil, has
been selected to erect this tower. The telecommunication tower in
Kokavil was destroyed in 1990 by the LTTE.
Addressing the gathering Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa
MP said the Government will rehabilitate and reconstruct all the
schools, hospitals, highways, roads and irrigation systems ravaged by
three decades of war when resettling the displaced civilians in the
North.
He said the erecting of the telecommunication tower is a part under
the Uthuru Vasanthaya program to improve the telecommunication
facilities in the North.
Mass Media and Information and Investment Promotion Minister Anura
Priyadarshana Yapa said that it was on the instruction of President
Mahinda Rajapaksa that a proposal was mooted to construct this
transmission tower in Kokavil.
"The right to information is a fundamental right of the people. The
President has given special emphasis to this project to improve
communication facilities in the North and is keenly following the
progress of this project," the Minister added.
Once the project is completed the people of the North will have
better access to mass media and telecommunication and also internet
facilities.
Minister of Nation Building Rohitha Abeygunawardena, former Chief
Minister of the Western Provincial Council Reginald Cooray,TRC Director
General Priyantha Kariyapperuma, Rupavahini Corporation Chairman
Ariyaratna Ethugala and Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Chairman
Hudsan Samarasinghe were among those present.
Kokavil Transmission Tower
*Height: 172 meters
*Areas covered: Vavuniya, Mannar,
Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Jaffna districts
*A joint venture by Mass Communication and
Information Ministry and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
* Cost: Rs.400 million
*The Tower was destroyed by the LTTE in July
1990
*Kokavil was recaptured on December 01, 2008 |