Indian High Commission to open an office in Jaffna to handle visa application

[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 April 2010, 10:40 GMT]
High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, Ashok K. Kantha, said Sunday that India will not open a branch of its Colombo embassy in Jaffna but only an office to handle visa applications, at the opening ceremony of Jaffna International Trade Fair in Jaffna Central College and Vembadi Girls’ College premises in Jaffna where he participated as the chief guest, sources in Jaffna said. He said that the said visa office will be opened on 5th May and added that cordial relationship between India and Sri Lanka prevails now and that India will strive to continue to develop the relationship, the sources added. Meanwhile, traders in Jaffna said that the government is holding the trade fair with the aim to extend the market for the goods of Southern traders in Jaffna peninsula.



The Indian High Commissioner also mentioned that India will assist Sri Lanka in various projects in the North including the construction of railway lines to Jaffna, building Palaali airport as an international airport and developing the ferry service between Kaangkeasanththu’rai and India.

The Jaffna International Trade Fair, organized jointly by Sri Lanka government and Southern traders, was attended mainly by traders from the South while only a few Jaffna traders were present at the official opening ceremony.