Rajapaksa uses SL military to distribute Indian aid

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 April 2011, 12:12 GMT]
Much controversy arose at the Jaffna District Development Committee (DDC) meeting held on Tuesday over the selection of the beneficiaries for the houses to be built by the Indians and the way the SL authorities were handling the distribution of tractors gifted by India. The SL Presidential Secretariat has instructed the Divisional Secretaries to send ‘recommendations’ through the area Brigade Officers of the SLA. The SL Government Agent, Imelda Sugumar, who denied knowledge of the housing project proposed by the Indian Government, said the SL Presidential Secretariat was handling the distribution of Indian aid.

The TNA took strong objection to the way the Indian aid to resettling civilians was being handled and the way the SL authorities were tackling the distribution of tractors supplied by the Indian government.

The way Colombo was handling the delivery of tractors from India has already drawn much criticism from the public.

Although 150 tractors were given to Jaffna District only 100 tractors have been accounted for and what happened to the balance 50 remained a mystery.

Yet again, out of the 112 tractors given to Mullaiththeevu district, about 9 tractors were missing.

EPDP paramilitary leader and a minister in Rajapaksa's cabinet, Douglas Devananda, who chaired the DDC meeting said that the Indian government was making ‘conflicting statements’ on the issue and that Tamil politicians were ‘complicating’ the issue.

Questions were raised at the meeting with regard to the missing tractors similarly in Mannaar, Vavuniyaa and Ki'linochchi districts.