TRO organizes social mobilization training seminar

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 March 2003, 17:57 GMT]
A five-day social mobilization training seminar for volunteers engaged in resettlement and rehabilitation works of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in the Trincomalee district commenced Thursday at the Anpuvallipuram Agricultural Extension Office, sources said.

The seminar is being conducted by Mr.Malaravan from the TRO secretariat.

Kuchchaveli Divisional Secretary Mr.K.S.Jeyachandra inaugurates the social moblization training seminar. Extreme left TRO's Trincomalee board member Mr.C.Kumaraguruparan and extreme right Mr. Malaravan of TRO Secretariat.

The participants of the seminar have been selected from village level socio-economic development groups. The main aim of the seminar is to educate them with the urgent need of mobilizing villagers for the successful implementation of resettlement and rehabilitation projects formulated by theTRO, said Mr.V.Kalaivarnan, Project Officer of the Trincomalee TRO in his introductory address.

Mr.K. S. Jeyachandra, Divisional Secretary for Kuchchaveli division in the north of Trincomalee, participating as the chief guest said that the twenty year old war has left several thousand villagers destitute; they have been forced to beg for their day-to-day existence in their own area.

Mr. Jeyachandra further said his division, Kuchchaveli, has been badly affected due to war. “We cannot see any houses. Roads are impassable. Agriculture has been completely destroyed. Paddy lands have been overgrown with shrub jungles," said Mr. Jeyachandra.

Village level officials said, "There were 59 tractors and 4 rice mills in the Thiriyai village when the entire population was displaced in 1985 to other areas, as they sought refuge from the intense destruction by the military. The village is now without a house and other facilities. The entire village should be reconstructed in a planned way."

Mr.Malaravan also spoke at the event. About forty participants are attending the residential seminar.

A section of the participants of the seminar.