Murunkan protestors demand share in peace dividend

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 September 2002, 19:41 GMT]
More than five hundred farmers, traders and community leaders demonstrated in Murunkan in Mannar Tuesday demanding the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to deliver on its promise to start rehabilitation and reconstruction in the area following the ceasefire. Sri Lankan government officials in Mannar said that the Minister for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction had allocated 208 million rupees for the purpose but the Treasury had no money to give.

Traffic on the Mannar Vavuniya- Madawachchi main road was blocked briefly Tuesday morning by the demonstrators.

They handed over memorandum to the GOSL through the Divisional Secretary for Nanaattaan, Mr. A. Paththinathan, outlining their demands.

The protestors want the GOSL to repair the Giant’s Tank and rebuild the dilapidated roads from Murunkan to Arippu and from Murunkan to Naanattaan. They want the Ministry of Health to give the Murunkan District Hospital an ambulance.

Farmers in the south-eastern parts of Mannar say that the Giant’s Tank irrigation reservoir should be repaired immediately in time for the approaching season for sowing paddy. The reservoir is spread on 24438 acres near Murunkan. It is in a serious state of disrepair due to years of neglect and war, and mainly due to the GOSL's studied apathy towards maintaining irrigation systems in the war zones of the northeast province.