Rebuilding of Achchuveli Industrial Estate urged

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 September 2004, 02:16 GMT]
Jaffna District Co-ordinating Committee (JDCC) Saturday urged the Government of Sri Lanka to reconstruct the war destroyed Industrial Estate located in Achchuveli in Jaffna district. JDCC said that rehabilitation would enable Jaffna residents to regain the lost economic benefits and would increase job prospects for unemployed youths.

The JDCC held its sitting for second day Saturday with parliamentarian Mr. Mavai Senathirajah in the chair.

All Jaffna district parliamentarians attended the meeting except Mr. Douglas Devananda, Minister and General Secretary of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP).

Heads of local government departments, State corporations and other development oriented agencies also participated in the two-day discussion, sources said.

Officials estimated about one billion rupee is needed for the reconstruction of the Achchuveli industrial estate, sources said.

Meanwhile, the JDCC decided that of the sum of 40 million rupees allocated under the decentralized budget (DCB) to the eight Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians, 30 million rupees will be allocated for the development projects in the Jaffna district. The remaining 10 million rupees will be allocated to the Killinochchi district, district secretariat sources said.

The JDCC further decided not to allocate funds for religious institutions and development work undertaken by NECORD, NEIAP and CAARP projects in the two districts, sources said.

Every parliamentarian in Sri Lanka under the DCB is allocated 5 million rupees to spend on the development projects in their respective district, sources said.