The Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan, categorically stated that the Forest Department’s refusal to release the lands—citing the lack of documentation for the people’s residences and livelihood properties—is unacceptable under any circumstances. He emphasized that the Department must fully release the lands recommended by the District Secretariat.
The first quarterly District Coordination Committee meeting of the Kilinochchi District for this year was held this morning – on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat Skill Development Hall. The meeting was conducted under the co-chairmanship of the Committee Chairman and Hon. Minister of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Resources, R. Chandrasekar, and the Co-Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan.
In his welcome address at the commencement of the meeting, Kilinochchi District Secretary S. Muralitharan provided a detailed explanation of the urgent measures taken to address the sand requirements of the Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts.
He stated that sand extracted and purified from the Kalmadu Tank is currently being distributed through the Karaichi Pradeshiya Sabha in accordance with public demand.
Furthermore, steps have been taken to collect and distribute, through the respective Pradeshiya Sabhas, the sand accumulated in the river areas of the Iranamadu Tank, including the Akkarayan and Kallar rivers, following the recent ‘Ditwah’ disaster.
In addition, he noted that tenders have been invited for soil washing in five ponds in Kilinochchi, from which approximately 15,000 cubic meters of sand are expected to be obtained. He pointed out that this initiative will partially fulfill the future sand requirements of both districts.
Speaking on the occasion, Hon. Minister R. Chandrasekar stated that substantial financial allocations will be made available for the development of the district this year. He noted that there is sufficient time to utilize these funds effectively and, therefore, urged the officials to implement development activities efficiently and expeditiously.
Following this, several matters were presented to the Council for approval by the District Coordination Committee.When approvals were sought for the Diversified Budget Fund, housing projects implemented through the Ministry of Resettlement, rural road development projects, the priority list of bridges to be reconstructed, the Disaster Management Plan, and the Social Empowerment Poverty Alleviation Project, Hon. Members of Parliament R. Aruchuna and P. Gajendrakumar, along with the Hon. Chairmen of the Pradeshiya Sabhas, recorded their objections.Meanwhile, the Committee granted approval for several key proposals, including the development of Vannerikulam as a tourism destination, the provision of land at Gautharimunai, and the allocation of shops at the Economic Centre.
Although a request had been made for the release of 10,821 acres of land from the Forest Department, the Department has recommended the release of only 1,088 acres. Highlighting this discrepancy, the District Secretary strongly insisted that the full extent of 10,821 acres originally requested be released. The District Coordination Committee unanimously approved this request. The District Secretary further stated that, with the approval of the Coordination Committee, the Cabinet has instructed the Forest Department to submit comprehensive details regarding the lands proposed for release before the 28th of this month.
Similarly, the District Coordination Committee granted approval to draw drinking water from the Iranamadu Tank in view of the future water requirements of the Kilinochchi District. In addition, permission was given to take legal action to evict individuals occupying the allocated lands surrounding the Kilinochchi urban ponds. Furthermore, the Committee approved the proposal to bifurcate the Karaichi Divisional Secretariat Division into two divisions, as well as to reorganize and reconstitute several Grama Niladhari Divisions.
Furthermore, approval was granted to regulate illegal sea cucumber farms operating within the Kilinochchi District.
The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Jayachandramoorthy Rajeevan, Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam, and Aruchuna Ramanathan; the Chief Secretary of the Northern Province; Secretaries of Provincial Ministries; Deputy Chief Secretaries; Provincial Directors; Commissioners; Heads of Departments; Hon. Chairmen of Pradeshiya Sabhas; representatives of social organizations; and security personnel.
