Vadamarachi Palm Co-ops demand return of Thikkam distillery
[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 December 2002, 17:21 GMT]
Several hundred people Wednesday launched a picketing campaign in front of the Palmyra Development Board office in Jaffna demanding that the distillery at Thikkam in Point Pedro area should be returned to the administration of the Federation of Vadamaradchi Palm Co-operatives
Societies, sources said. Presently the Thikkam Distillery is under the administration of the Palmyra Development Board (PDB).
PDB Jaffna office is located near the Jaffna Secretariat on Kandy road. The administration of the Thikkam Distillery was transferred to the PDB in 2000 when it came under the then Minister of Northern Regional Development in the then Peoples Alliance (PA) government Mr. Douglas Devananda. Even now the Palmyra Development Board runs the distillery. Members of the Federation of Vadamarachchi Palm Co-operative Societies now have started an agitation campaign demanding the return of the Thikkam Distillery under their administration. As a part of the agitation several hundred activists Wednesday launched a picketing against the PDB office on rotation basis. The picketing would continue until the Thikkam distillery is handed back to the Federation of Vadamarachchi Palm Co-operative Societies, sources said.  The production of palmyra arrack at the distillery is at present 65 thousand bottles per month. A 750 ml bottle of palmyra arrack is sold at about 200 rupees in Colombo by an outlet called "Katpakam" of the Palmyra Development Board, sources said. Meanwhile picketing by Nedunthivu residents against the presence of EPDP members in their village continued Wednesday, sources said.
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