CSD GUNS turned into ploughshares

Irangika RANGE

CSD Director General Rear Admiral Ananda Peiris	Lieutenant Colonel Y. M. Punchibandara

Members of the Civil Security Department (CSD) who rendered an exemplary service to the humanitarian operation to save the country from the clutches of terrorism are now playing a greater role in post-war development. They are playing a pivotal role to strengthen the national economy. CSD personnel have able to live up to the expectations of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence and Urban Development Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who established the CSD as a fully fledged department.

They are now enriching the national economy by bringing in millions of rupees by cultivating around 10,000 arable lands abandoned during the 30 year conflict.

These very same energetic and dedicated men who once bore the brunt of war while extending maximum support to the soldiers battling in the front line trenches, are now showing their prowess in a different field - nurturing the soil of the land. They protected the supply routes and villages vulnerable to terrorist attacks during the height of the conflict.

They took the lead in ensuring continuous supplies to the men fighting at the front. It was they who acted as the buffer against LTTE attacks on far flung villages. During the war their supportive role helped sustain the battle until final victory was achieved.

The Kebithigollewa bus bomb set off by the LTTE killing innocent and defenceless men, women and children compelled President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take military action and launch the humanitarian operation which finally ended when victory over terrorism was achieved in May, 2009. The CSD played no small part in achieving the objective of the President to rid the land of terrorism.

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa appreciating a handicraft made by CSD members. Pictures by Samantha Weerasiri

CSD members carrying bundles of paddy to put into the paddy harvester

The CSD men are now engaged in cultivating and developing land which were once ringed by Forward Defence Lines targetting terrorist movements from Medwachchiya to Mulaithivu. The task is spearheaded by the CSD’s Force Headquarters in Kebithigollewa. The objective is to develop the Kebithigollewa area which has already being divided into 15 sub zones by the CSD.

Kebithigollewa area

Lt Col Y.M. Punchibandara of the CSD’s Force Headquarters in Kebithigollewa, said that a total of 2,154 CSD men have been deployed for the task. He said that the Headquarters had detailed 267 men to economically develop the Kebithigollewa area, 288 men to develop Yakawewa area, 218 men to improve Kumbukwewea area, 161 men to uplift conditions in Galkadawala area and 155 men for the Thunhuttuwa area.

Since the beginning upto December last year, the CSD men had brought in a total income of Rs 30,755,085 through development projects. Of this Rs 20,293,756.75 came from agriculture and agrarian services projects while brick making projects netted in Rs 8,912,908. A sum of Rs 1,548,420 had been earned through livestock projects, he said.

Agricultural crop production has been extended up to 1,604 acres in the area. Meanwhile, CSD members have already started cultivating over 844 acres of paddy, maize, kurakkan, undu, kawpi, fruits and vegetables. Lt Col Punchibandara, however, said the recent heavy rains destroyed many cultivations. Over 156 acres of crops were destroyed incurring a loss of nearly Rs.7,820,400.

Overcoming the ill effects of nature is no big task for the CSD personnel who have overcome tougher obstacles. They proceed undaunted with the same courage and zeal to protect the fruits of their labours as they did during the conflict. “We hope for a harvest income of nearly Rs.38,762,400 this Maha season,” Lt Col Punchibandara said.

Apart from converting land into cultivations, CSD personnel are also engaged in renovating tanks that had been abandoned and destroyed by the three decade long conflict. Ancient tanks, namely, Thunchuttuwa, Dutuwewa, Bakmewewa, Mugunuwewa and Verabandawewa in the Kebitigollewa area were overgrown with shrubs and exposed to the elements when discovered by CSD personnel, during their jungle operations against the LTTE. Later, parallel to the development drive, these tanks were earmarked for renovation.

“Our members have already renovated Bakmeewewa and Werabandawewa tanks. With the expanded water capacity, the two tanks could irrigate around 60 acres of land during the Yala and Maha seasons. Around 600 CSD personnel are detailed for the task of reconstructing and renovating the tanks,” Lt Col Punchibandara said.

Narrating another success story, Lt Col Punchibandara recalled how CSD personnel during the dark days of war discovered a stretch of land, around 145 acres in extent, once used for paddy cultivation lying abandoned, around six km beyond the former Forward Defence Line (FDL). The patch of abandoned land was thick jungle. Soon after the conflict, the CSD personnel commenced clearing and preparing the land for cultivation.

By the time we visited the spot, around 14 acres had already come under the plough. At the beginning, the CSD personnel had to seek the assistance of trackers to reach the land as threats from wild elephants loomed large forcing the men to keep a day, night vigil, in order to protect the cultivation.

“We have realized the truth of the words of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa that the youth are one of the best resource that the motherland possess and that resource be tapped to develop our nation. There was scepticism and wild allegations against our men from various detractors. They could not dent our courage and we have proved that this country could be developed by converting abandoned and LTTE destroyed lands into fertile and profit making ventures,” he said, adding that the Kebithigollewa Force Headquarters had generated an income of around Rs.29, 334, 240 through various projects implemented.

The Kebithigollewa Force Headquarters had been upgraded by constructing a new paddy warehouse with a storage capacity of 300,000 kilos of paddy. It has a rice processing centre which has a capacity to mill nearly 10,000 kilos of paddy per day by removing the dust, sand, insects and pebbles, weed seeds, etc. The rice processed there is currently being supplied to military camps in Medawachchiya, Kebithigollewa, Colombo and Padawiya. Their next target is to upgrade this facility by installing three boilers.

Under the housing project for CSD personnel, the CSD Seva Vanitha Unit has built 22 newly constructed houses for CSD members in the area. CSD personnel attached to the Kebithigollewa Force Headquarters have contributed their manpower for the construction of houses.

In addition, the CSD Force Headquarters in Kebithigollewa provide technical support and manpower for the government projects such as the Maradana, Elphinstone Theatre renovation project, Gampaha-Imbulgoda Mihundu Aranya monastery project, maintaining the Mahamevuna Uyana, construction of Vahalkada of the Tissamaharama Viharaya, construction works at the Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, renovation of the stairway of the Sri Pada temple and construction of the Officers' Mess and working at monument sites at Mihintale. Lt Col Punchibandara said that the cost of CSD manpower for these projects had been estimated at around Rs.6, 630,000.

CSD Director General Rear Admiral Ananda Peiris said his men have contributed to almost every sector of the development drive. “The CSD contributed billions of rupees in labour for countrywide development projects. Our men and women are well trained and disciplined. Therefore, on the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, they have been deployed for many development activities that allow them to earn an additional income without becoming a burden to the Treasury,” he said.

“The CDS cadre has been increased to 41,500 and they have been provided a comprehensive training by the Army. They have been given sophisticated arms instead of shot guns that they had been familiar with. It was the CSD personnel who protected and safeguarded the threatened-villages during the conflict. Today, they have been deployed in development, construction, cultural and religious projects, both in their villages and throughout the country,” Rear Admiral Peiris added.

Special Thanks for Lt Col Kelum Priyantha and Major Vajira Kumarathunga.