The President assured immediate solutions to land, housing, health, irrigation, and agriculture-related issues in the Northern Province.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that eight (08) committees would be appointed at the provincial level to resolve land-related issues in the North and South of the country would be resolved accordingly.
President Wickremesinghe made these observations while participating in the District Development Committee meeting held at the Vavuniya District Secretariat this morning (19).
The development committee meeting was called covering Vavuniya, Mannar, and Mullaitivu districts in the Northern Province.
The issues related to the lands, housing, health, irrigation, and agriculture in the province and solutions for them were discussed at length during the meeting.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured that all measures would be taken to improve the living conditions of the people by providing prompt solutions to the problems arising in various fields in the Northern Province and said that he expected the supportive hands of the parliamentarians of the Northern Province in this endeavor.
Pointing out that there are many unsolved problems in the North, the President further assured that he would resolve those issues by way of discussions with all parties.
Parliamentarian Charles Nirmalanathan drew the attention of the President to the fact that the Tamil people who settled in the Settikulam area in 1994 have still not been provided with land.
The President instructed the Vavuniya District Secretary to intervene to resolve the land issue in Settikulam within 03 months and added that he would inquire about the matter from the Ministry of Justice as well as the Ministry of Lands.
At the meeting, attention was also drawn to the problems arising due to the acquisition of certain farmlands in the Mullaitivu district by the Department of Archaeology.Special attention was focused on the housing problem of the people in the Northern Province and the officials pointed out that the housing projects initiated to address the issue in the three districts have reached different stages of construction and an additional sum of Rs. 3000 million is required for its completion.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe pointed out that many housing projects have commenced across the island and he expected to provide quick solutions to the housing problem of the people in the North.
Parliamentarian Selvam Adekkalanathan highlighted the plight and the needs of the people living in the vicinity of Vavuniya Lake and Thirikkulam Lake and drew the attention of the President at the meeting.
The renovation of the tanks in the districts, solving the fertilizer problem, and streamlining the distribution activities also was the focal point at the meeting.
The President instructed the officials to take measures to provide the necessary solutions to the health sector-related problems and the shortage of doctors in the Northern Province paying special attention to them when the issues were raised during the meeting.
Parliamentarian Rishad Bathuideen explained various irregularities that the fishermen in the Mannar district have to face in the supply of kerosene oil and the President instructed the officials to initiate an urgent inquiry into the matter.
Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, Urban Development, and Housing State Minister Tenuka Vidanagamage, State Minister for Rural Development Kader Mastan, Northern Province Governor Jeevan Thiagarajah, Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake and public officials including district secretaries were present on the occasion.
Among the physical assets owned by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) to be sold, it is reported that the most valuable asset is the cable system consisting of five underground cables (submarine fiber optic cable system) that provides communication facilities from Sri Lanka to foreign countries.
Meanwhile, it was reported that both Malaysia and India are trying to buy the SLT.
However, it is said that if SLT were to sell the 49.5% shares owned by the government, Malaysia’s Global Telecom Holding (GTH), which owns 44.98% of the SLT, should first be invited.
According to the SLT Privatization Agreement, shares of GTH owned by Malaysian Tamil Buddhist Ananda Krishnan of Sri Lankan origin and the Sri Lankan Government are prohibited from being sold to third parties.
The government can sell its 49.5% stake to a third party only if the Malaysian company refuses to buy the shares.
Lalitha Hewagamage, a social media activist, in a post on his Facebook page said that Malaysia’s Dialog Axiata already owns more than 82.74% of Dialog’s shares. If GTH owns SLT, Malaysia will be the lead telecommunications owner in Sri Lanka.
He said that this is a beautiful acquisition compared to the South Indian, Portuguese, Dutch and English conquests.
He also said that the minions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe are trying to violate the agreement and transfer the shares owned by the government to a third buyer like Lycamobile or Reliance.
Mr. Hewagamage warned that if the agreement is violated, the country will have to pay compensation to GTH in an international court in the future.
He said the amount of compensation could be more than the amount obtained by selling the shares owned by the government.
Who is behind the idea?
Economic experts pointed out that developed countries with large economies have achieved their economic growth by moving to the world of e-commerce.
Accordingly, it is important for the government to have a stake in the country’s communication system to develop a country.
Meanwhile, security analysts pointed out that India is already working carefully to acquire the printing of national identity cards and its database, and its second step is to take over the national communication network.
Indian wolves vying for SLT
It has been confirmed that Reliance company owned by the Mittals family, as well as Jio company owned by Mukesh Ambani and Lycamobile owned by Subaskaran Aliraja are interested in buying SLT.
Reliance also owns Airtel in Sri Lanka.
Rohan is the most unsuccessful chairman…
Meanwhile, SLT trade unions said that current Chairman Rohan Fernando is the most unsuccessful chairman in SLT history.
Though the Chairman has told the media how SLT has become profitable, they said he is now silent about selling such a profitable company.
What Nanda Malini said about selling country’s resources:
The heart and lungs taken from a brain dead 19-year-old student with the permission of her family were transplanted to a critically ill anesthesiologist at the Colombo National Hospital, a specialist who participated in the surgery has told Lankadeepa.
Medical experts said that this is the first time in the medical history of Sri Lanka that these organs have been transplanted to a patient who was suffering from a heart disease and a lung disorder in one surgery.
A team of Indian medical specialists and a team of specialists from Sri Lanka have transplanted the heart and lungs to the anesthesiologist. Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and senior officials of the Health Ministry have given their support to make this operation successful.
In addition, the kidneys and liver taken from the student were transplanted to two patients suffering from kidney disease and a liver patient.
The bone marrow of the donor has also been taken to be transplanted to patients.
According to a pledge made by the student when she was still alive, her eyes were also donated to the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society.
The organ donor was a student from Ambanpola in Nikaweratiya by the name A. H. T. Vihagana Nuwanmini Ariyasinghe.
She has been pronounced brain dead while being treated in the intensive care unit of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital due to a brain tumor.
She was a student of Maliyadeva Girls’ College in Kurunegala and appeared for the recently held A/L examination.
The government has decided to construct a new President’s Official Residence and the Presidential Secretariat on the site of the National ‘Sandun Uyana’ (Sandalwood Garden) built at a cost of Rs.300 million.
Since it has been decided to use the President’s House premises in Colombo Fort for a development project under the Colombo Port City Project, it has been decided to build a new President’s House and the Secretariat at the Sandun Uyana.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandana Wickramaratne has also recommended that the Sandun Uyana prepared in nine acres near the Parliament premises is suitable for that purpose.
Accordingly, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to prepare future plans and submit a report.
The President’s Office said that it has also been decided to relocate the Prime Minister’s office and the Prime Minister’s official residence on another plot of land located near the Sandun Uyana.
The President has informed the UDA to look into the possibility of moving the Cabinet office to another plot of land nearby, and the President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake to study the space required for this construction and submit a report.
The Sandun Uyana project was built and opened during the tenure of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
A total of 300 red sandalwood plants and 900 white sandalwood plants were planted in the garden at a cost of Rs.300 million by the UDA.
Although this garden was planned to be opened by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on July 20, 2021, it was opened by Minister Namal Rajapaksa.