SLA relaxes restrictions on fish transport from Mannaar

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 June 2007, 11:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday permitted the transportation of fish by lorries from Mannaar to southern parts of the country without the lorries having to unload, reload at Madawachchi in north central province. However, SLA officials also agreed to allow only three lorries of Mannaar traders to proceed to south beyond Madawachchi to transport vegetables to Mannaar, business sources said.

The decision to lift the restriction on lorries transporting fish from Mannaar was taken Friday morning at a discussion held between a delegation of Mannaar Fisheries Society and army officials at Thallaady SLA camp.

Fish transported in lorries would be checked without unloading them at Madawachchi. SLA officials have instructed the delegation of the Mannaar Fisheries Society to ensure that these lorries returning from south after unloading fish in Colombo should come to Mannaar empty, without bringing any goods from Colombo.

Lorries transporting vegetables from Dambulla, Matale and Anuradhapura would be thoroughly checked at Madawachchi before proceeding further to Mannaar, army officials told Mannaar traders at the talks.

However, the restriction on lorries transporting other produce to and from Mannaar and south to unload the stock at Madawachchi and re-load them in other lorries coming from south continues.