EPDP monopoly in the distribution of relief ration hits uprooted familes in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 August 2010, 05:24 GMT]
Seventy percent of the familes uprooted during war and resettled in Jaffna peninsula depend on the dry food relief ration redistributed by agencies which obtain the contract of distribution through Sri Lanka government tenders. Jaffna Traders' Assocaition (JTA) circles allege that a particular trader acting as an agent of Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda, leader of Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), has obtained the distribution tenders using the letter heads of more than three agencies and that the procedure of calling for tenders by Jaffna Secretariat is explotied by him to the disadvantage of other bidders. The dry food relief ration distributed to the uprooted families by the said trader is very poor in quality as the food items supplied by Jaffna Secretariat to him are sold in black market, JTA sources said.

Jaffna Secretariat officers purcahse the dry food items including rice, dhal, wheat flour, sugar and cooking oil from the government and sell them to traders through tenders and the successful bidder redistributes the food items to people entitled to receive relief rations.

During the tendering process, the EPDP agent trader 'controls' the situation in such a way that other bidders are intimidated from participating, the sources said.

The most affected by the unchecked swindle are the Vanni uprooted families resettled in Jaffna peninsula as there are none to speak on their behalf.

Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda and his stooges are making millions of rupees in several similar rackets in the peninsula, local civil society sources said.

EPDP's 'Maheswary Fund' which enjoys the monoply in excavating sand in Vadmaraadchi East is one among the many sources that mint millions of rupees to Douglas Devananda, the sources added.

Sri Lanka government does nothing to intervene in this mass swindle that has been going on for many years.