27 Saiva temples, monuments affected by planned road widening, ACHC complains

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 February 2010, 12:54 GMT]
All Ceylon Hindu Congress (ACHC) expressed deep concern over Sri Lanka's planned widening of the Jaffna-Kankesanthurai high way from Jaffna town to KKS as the plan would lead to the destruction and desecration of twenty seven Saiva temples and several historical cultural monuments along both sides of the highway, sources in Jaffna said. Officials of ACHC have protested the planned road upgrade to Northern Provincial Governor G.A. Chandrasiri.

A delegation comprising ACHC President V. Kailayapillai, General Secretary Kandiah Neelakandan, and Ms.V. Kailayapillai, Treasurer of the Thiruketheeswaram Temple Restoration Society, met the Governor G.A. Chandrasiri at the latter’s office in Colombo Friday and handed over a memorandum.

Later ACHC issued a statement regarding the discussion the group had with Governor Chandrasiri.

The statement states that Jaffna Hindu and Tamil community are shocked over the widening of Jaffna-KKS highway and they have requested the ACHC to take this matter with the high authorities and to save their cultural heritage in the peninsula.

About twenty seven Saiva temples and several cultural monuments and identities located along both sides of the highway would be demolished and desecrated if the widening is taken place without consulting the intellectuals and Jaffna university community, the statement added.

The ACHC delegation urged the Governor to intervene and obtain the views of the Jaffna university community and other intellectuals in the peninsula before implementing the widening project of the Jaffna-KKS highway. Jaffna intellectuals are reported to have alternative proposals for the widening of the highway, the statement further said.

Hence, the ACHC requests the Governor to take a wise decision on this subject without harming the feelings of Hindu Tamil community, the statement concluded.