Presidential Task Force appointed to lead post-cyclone rebuilding efforts

Colombo, December 31 (Daily Mirror) -President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has issued an Extraordinary Gazette establishing a Presidential Task Force for Rebuilding Sri Lanka to oversee rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction efforts in areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah.

The Gazette notification, dated December 31, outlines the mandate of the Task Force to coordinate post-disaster response mechanisms, streamline institutional efforts and ensure the effective implementation of rebuilding programmes in the aftermath of the cyclone.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has been appointed as Chairperson of the Task Force. The body comprises a high-level team including Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, provincial-level officials and senior public servants representing key state institutions.

According to the Gazette, the Task Force will function as the central coordinating authority, working with government agencies and other stakeholders to accelerate recovery initiatives and restore essential services in affected regions.

The establishment of the Task Force comes amid widespread damage to infrastructure, housing and livelihoods caused by Cyclone Ditwah, with the government seeking to strengthen oversight and ensure a unified national response to the disaster.