Hon. Governor of Northern Province N. Vethanayahan, who conducted a direct field visit to areas under the Manthai East Divisional Secretariat Division in Mullaitivu District, participated in the public grievances meeting held this Wednesday morning (18 February 2026) at the Divisional Secretariat conference hall and listened to the people’s issues.
During this meeting, the Governor assured that immediate actions would be taken to swiftly implement the requests that can be fulfilled right away, while measures would be taken to address the others within the appropriate time frame. Furthermore, in response to a request made by Mullaitivu District Secretary A. Umamaheswaran, the Governor agreed to review the progress of work programs implemented through provincial ministries and departments once in a specified period.
At this meeting, the Divisional Secretary presented a priority list of development needs. This included road repairs, construction of bridges and culverts, tank rehabilitation, erection of elephant fences, and illegal sand mining, among other matters. Additionally, the shortage of teachers in schools was also proposed.
In particular, the Governor paid special attention to the transportation issue raised by the public. It was brought to the Governor’s notice that due to pressure from certain three-wheeler drivers, even bus services that operated in the past have now been stopped, causing inconvenience to many, including school students and government officials, who are unable to travel on time. Regarding this, the Governor immediately took note and issued instructions to the General Manager of the Northern Province Passenger Transport Authority to take strict action against those causing interference.
Commenting on the education sector, the Governor reminded that instructions had already been issued to conduct field inspections through zones and report on the physical needs of schools. He stated that prioritized needs would be addressed accordingly, and since applications have been called to fill teacher vacancies in schools, the teacher shortage situation would be resolved in the future.
Furthermore, the Governor noted that the works carried out with funds allocated following his field visit to this area last year were satisfactory. In particular, he pointed out that the Sivapuram Kuththu Bridge and Karumpulliyan Road, which were previously severely damaged, have now been rehabilitated and made suitable for public use. The Governor mentioned that other needs would similarly be progressively fulfilled in the future.
This discussion was attended by many, including the Mullaitivu District Secretary, Secretaries of the Northern Province Health and Local Government Ministries, the Hon. Chairman and members of the Manthai East Pradeshiya Sabha, the Divisional Secretary, Directors of provincial departments (Irrigation, Road Development, Agriculture and Health), the General Manager of the Passenger Transport Authority, and the Assistant Commissioner of Local Government.
