2ND LEAD

Batticaloa flood relief diverted to Kudumpimalai SLA camps

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 January 2011, 13:46 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is reported to have appropriated the flood relief materials intended for flood affected villagers in the Batticaloa district, and has distributed the materials to soldiers in SLA camps located in Kudumpimalai, civil sources in Batticaloa said. The Deputy Resettlement Minister in the Mahinda Rajapakse government, Vinayagamoorthy Muralidharan alias Karuna, claimed that he had allocated two tonnes of relief materials for the distribution among affected families in the Batticaloa. Now it has come to light that the assistance had been handed over to the Batticaloa Headquarters of the Sri Lanka Army and not to the civil authority in the district.

The SLA had airlifted relief materials allocated for flood victims to soldiers in SLA camps in Kudumpimalai area, civil sources said.

Meanwhile, displaced sheltered in welfare centres in the district say that they were not provided with any relief for the last seventy two hours since they fled from their dwellings due to flood.

Provincial Director of Education A.T.M.Nizam said all schools have been closed for a week as seventy five percent of them are under flood water.

Six medical institutions in Ma'ndoor, Kannangkudaa, Naavatkudaa, Maavadivempu and Paddippazhai have been closed as they are under water, according to Provincial Minister of Health S.M.Subair.

Residents in some welfare centres have not been provided with clothes and bed sheets, mosquito nets, pure drinking water, cooking utensils, medical and latrines facilities, sources said.

The ancient Tamil place name Kudumpimalai has been changed into Thoppigala by the occupying Sri Lanka Army.

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