Future of VVT NECORD project uncertain

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 30 September 2003, 19:26 GMT]
Representatives of the Vadamaradchi North Fisheries Societies decided in a meeting Tuesday to walk out if the Sri Lanka Army failed to provide a satisfactory solution on allowing the project on deepening of fisheries landing points at the conference scheduled to be held Wednesday at the 52-4 brigade headquarters of the SLA, located in the Point Pedro high security zone, sources said.

At Tuesday's meeting, several fisheries representatives said that the Point Pedro Divisional Secretary had sent a letter to the 52-4 SLA brigade commander, seeking permission to construct micro breakwater for mooring fishing boats and deepening, sources said.

Without commenting on that application by the Divisional Secretary, the SLA's Jaffna regional headquarters sources Tuesday said they stopped the construction because of the "failure to obtain prior permission" from them by the parties concerned.

A fisheries official had said that they already had "approval" from the SLA for the construction. The SLA says, however, that as these areas come under the control of the Sri Lankan government, special permission for the construction will have to be obtained.

Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission have also agreed to attend Wednesday's conference.

Wednesday's conference has been summoned by the security forces to discuss in detail the question of allowing the construction under the NECORD project after Valvettithurai fishermen defied SLA's ban and started construction Monday morning.

However, the work has been suspended awaiting the outcome of the Wednesday conference, sources said.