Civil Security Committees to be re-activated

Wehelle PIYATILLEKE, Maharagama Spl Corr

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Inspector General of Police Illangakoon have instructed for the reorganization and restoration of the inactive Civil Security Committees on or before August 30.

The Civil Defence Committees were the best civil organizations which played a vital role to do away with the insurgency in Sri Lanka. During the time of insurgency in Sri Lanka, the Civil Defence Committees looked after their villages while the forces were engaged in war.

More than 14,000 civil defence committees had protected their villages. With the end of the war most of the civil defence committees had fallen inactive.

The Defence Ministry and the Police Department have instructed Police Stations islandwide to restore and reorganize the Civil Defence Committees in villages.

These facts were highlighted at a meeting of the Police officers and Civil Defence Committee office-bearers of the Nugegoda Police Division recently held at the Maharagama Urban Council Auditorium.

The meeting was held under the patronage of Nugegoda Police Division SP Desabandu Thennakoon.

The Defence Ministry has also taken steps to help the health sector in the dengue epidemic campaign. Nugegoda SP Desabandu Tennakoon appealed to all police stations to conduct Shramadana at least once a week in their areas with the help of the Civil Defence Committees to eradicate the dengue menace. To coincide with the meeting, 37 police officers from 13 police stations in the Nugegoda Police Division were provided with incentives for their commendable service done in 2011.

The amount distributed among police officers is Rs 5,272,000.

ASP Ranjith Mendis and ASP (woman) Imesha Mutumala also graced the occasion.