22 July 2018 04:10 pm
Prime Minister said the Palali Airport, the Kankesanthurai Port, the road network in the North would be developed with Indian assistance.
He said a yacht service would be introduced to enable the tourists to visit the islands in the North.
He also said a road would be constructed from Mannar to Trincomalee via Pooneryn.
“Tourist zones and industrial zones will also come up in the North,” he said.
He said development work carried out under the Gam Peraliya Development Programme would be done by the contractors in the North.
“There was a war in the North and the economy here was destroyed. Our objective is to revive the economy in the North and in the whole country,” he said.
“We want the money circulation in the North to increase. People in the North had suffered due to the war a lot. The war is over now but there are issues to be resolved. The Government is willing to share the happiness and sorrow of the people in the North,” the Prime Minister said.
“Jaffna was like a business hub before the war. There were a number of high capacity entrepreneurs in the North in the past.
“Tobacco, which was produced in Jaffna, was exported to India in the past. We want to revive all these economic activities,” he added.
Mr Wickremesinghe requested the people in the North and the Provincial Council to cooperate with the Government and make use of the opportunity they have got to develop the North.
The Prime Minister thanked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and the Indian people for the Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service.
Prime Minister began his programme in the North with the launching of Gam Peraliya Programme in the North and then participated in the launching if Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service.
He was also the chief guest at the Northern Entrepreneur Awards organized by the Ministry of Industries.
Ministers Mangala Samaraweera, Rishad Bathiudeen, State Ministers Harsha de Silva and Eran Wickramaratne also participated. MP Vijayakala Maheswaran was also present. (Yohan Perera in Jaffna)