Resettlement: 442 families return to Mannar
Lakshmi de Silva in Mannar
The people of Mannar chased away by the LTTE in 1990 from their
villages, living in IDP camps during the past 19 years, did not expect
they could come back to their villages but today they have come to their
villages due to the sacrifices and efforts made by the Armed Forces
under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to defeat
terrorists, Disaster Relief and Resettlement Minister Rishard Bathiudeen
said.
Minister Bathiudeen was speaking at a function held at the Musali
school grounds, Mannar to resettle 442 families last Friday.
“Today some Opposition members are trying to gain political mileage
by shedding crocodile tears over these people who languished in refugee
camps. SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem was in Parliament for the past 20 years
but did not come forward at least to build one latrine for these
displaced persons. The IDPs who returned to their homes should not be
deceived by such opportunists,” the Minister said.
The Minister said special thanks were due to the leader of the Task
Force of Rehabilitation and Resettlement Senior Presidential Advisor
Basil Rajapaksa MP who directed the senior officials like Ministry
Secretaries to expedite the provision of services to the IDPs so that
they could be resettled sooner.
The Government had started constructing new roads, providing
electricity and rehabilitated irrigation schemes and the people would
benefit from these for a better future, Nation Building Minister S.M.
Chandrasena said.
Northern Province Governor Major General G.A. Chandrasiri addressing
the gathering said that he was as happy as the villagers who had come
back to their original places and he had the responsibility to look
after them as the Governor. A special team of officials had been
appointed to visit the resettled families to find out their problems and
these officials would be visiting them within the next few days.
The Government would provide maximum support to restart their lives
in the Musali area by providing facilities and assist in every possible
way to uplift their living standards. INGOs, NGOs and the Government
would work together while de-mining and resettlement would also continue
according to the plans of the special task force. |