Urgency to complete NIAP projects on schedule stressed

[TamilNet, Monday, 10 February 2003, 11:10 GMT]
Officals working on North East Irrigation and Agriculture (NIAP) which is being carried out with the assistance of World Bank should ensure that the projects are completed according to established schedule, said Mr. S. Rangarajan, the Primary Secretary North East Province, in the eleventh Progress meeting held at the Vavuniya secretariat Monday morning, according to sources in Vavuniya.

NIAP Commissioner P. Ramanathan, World Bank representative Nihal Fernando, North East Assistant Secretary V.S. Swaminathan, Batticaloa Government Agent R. Maunaguruswamy, Kilinochchi Government Agent T. Rasanayagam, Mannar district Additional Government Agent A. Nicholaspillai, Trincomalee 22-Brigade commander Major.J.Attapattu, and NIAP officials from Vavuniya, Mannar, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Amapara, Anuradhapura, Polannaruwa, Monaragala and Puttalam participated in the meeting, sources said.

NIAP program targets about 400 different villages and is intended to benefit more than 8000 families whose livelihood depends on agriculture, program officials said.

Projects that were scheduled to be completed in 2001 and 2002 should be given the highest priority and every effort must be made to complete them within the first quarter of this year. World Bank has given assurances to provide funds to improve projects that will help especially the poverty striken families, Rangarajan said.