North, East civil administration improving - W D J

Ridma Dissanayake

The standard of the civil administration service in the Northern and Eastern Provinces is improving, Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W D J Seneviratne said.

It was non-existent during the past three decades due to terrorism. The Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry provided a vital service to normalize the administration of these provinces during the past four years and today, that attempt has become a success with the dedication of the entire staff of the ministry and those working in the administration sector in the North and East, the minister said.

Minister Seneviratne was addressing the opening ceremony of the newly built office complex at Nindavur Divisional Secretariat premises in Ampara.

The government spent Rs 45 million for this building and over 30,000 civilians living in Nindavur will receive the opportunity to benefit from this new office.

"During the past three decades, civilians living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces had no opportunity to register their marriages and deaths. But now we have provided all facilities to register unregistered marriages and deaths. We have already commenced this work," the minister said. "Arrangements are in place to modernize the Divisional Secretariat system and rebuild the destroyed government offices in the North and East under the directions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The President instructed relevant authorities to provide funds for these constructions without any deduction," the minister said.

At present, there is a lack of Tamil government employees in these provinces and the Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry will hold a competitive examination to recruit Tamil Grama Sewa Niladharis and Management Assistants. These exams will be held in August, he added.

Parliamentarians Faisal Kaseem, Shiyani Wijewickrema, Provincial Council Member Udumal Lebbe, Ampara District Secretary Nelie De Alwis, Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry Additional Secretary J Dadallage and Nindavur Divisional Secretary Abdul Jaleel were also present.