Uthuru Vasanthaya program:

Great response from Northern people

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Nation Building Minister Susantha Punchinilame yesterday said the people of the North are responding positively to develop their provinces under the 180-day accelerated development program planned for the North under the Uthuru Vasanthaya while the process of demining and clearance of unexpected objects have reached near-completion in the province.

Punchinilame said the public of the Mannar, Vavuniya, Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullativu districts have placed their faith in Uthuru Vasanthaya (The Northern Spring) development program after discussing it with Senior Advisor to the President and the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force for the development of the North Basil Rajapaksa, MP.

Basil Rajapaksa, MP had visited districts in the North and met officers and people from the region to discuss the program because implementation of the programs are to be carried out by the officers from the respective regions in keeping with their needs and aspirations.

Basil Rajapksa declared at a public meeting held in Jaffna on Saturday that restrictions on fishing have been lifted in the peninsula on the directions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and that people in Jaffna are now free to engage in fishing activities 24 hours a day.

The Minister said, projects worth Rs. 1010 million are already underway in the district to develop highways and roads with the assistance from the Asian Development Bank. Public service bus operators have begun their operations on highways. Bridges are being reconstructed, he said.

Basil Rajapaksa, MP has given instructions to officers in the district to ensure that all houses in Vavuniya gets electricity within the stipulated 180-day period under Uthuru Vasanthaya.

At the time, 62 percent have access to electricity, he added.

”Steps have been taken to step up resettlement of IDPs with the process of demining reaching its final stages in the North,” said Punchinilame.

Meanwhile, the officers have been asked to develop inland fisheries. Basil Rajapaksa had told the fishermen in Karainagar that it was up to them to bring the fisheries industry self-sustainable.

“Fishermen in the peninsula were responsible for catching over 49,000 metric tonnes of fish in 1983 .

It has gone down by 90 per cent on account of various problems that no longer exist. So it is up to you now to ensure you catch enough fish to meet the local demand,” Rajapaksa had said.