Tamil MPs upbeat after discussion with Minister Rajapksa

By Dinasena Ratugamage

Tamil MPs were convinced that a positive outcome could be achieved over instances where Mahaweli Authority officials were taking over private lands belonging to the Northern residents, TNA Kilinochchi District MP S. Sritharan said yesterday after a meeting with Minister of Irrigation Chamal Rajapaksa.

The MP said that the meeting with Minister Rajapaksa on Wednesday had been extremely fruitful and his attitude was commendable.

“We informed him of the actions of Mahaweli Authority officials and he immediately stopped it. He also ordered an investigation into the allegations. These are commendable actions and we are extremely pleased withthe way it was handled,” MP Sritharan said.

The TNA said that the Minister had also responded positively to the request for making the Northern Kalmunai sub-divisional secretariat, a fully-fledged secretariat. The residents in Kalmunai had staged continuous protests over that issue, the MP said. Some 29 Grama Niladari Divisions come under the Northern Kalmunai sub-divisional secretariats. “Many sub-divisional secretariats have been converted to divisional secretariat but for some reason Kalmunai sub-divisional secretariat has been left out.”

TNA MPs M.A. Sumanthiran, Selvam Adaikalanathan, S. Sritharan and Charles Nirmalanathan, Tamil National People’s Front’s Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Selvarajah Kajendran, Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani’s C.V. Wigneswaran and several other Tamil MPs met Minister Rajapaksa.