“We have now reached the midpoint of the year. Therefore, all projects must be completed expeditiously within the remaining months. To achieve this, everyone should work in coordination and provide their full cooperation to move the work forward,” stated the Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan.
The Jaffna District Coordinating Committee meeting was held today – Friday morning, 19 June 2026, at the Jaffna District Secretariat Auditorium under the chairmanship of Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekhar, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Marine Resources and Chairman of the Coordinating Committee, with the participation of Hon. N. Vethanayahan, Governor of the Northern Province and Co-Chairman of the Coordinating Committee.
Following the welcome address delivered by Jaffna District Secretary M. Piirateepan, the Governor of the Northern Province delivered his co-chairman’s address. During his remarks, he stated, “Everyone spends their valuable time to participate in meetings such as these. Therefore, all concerned should extend their full cooperation to ensure that this meeting is conducted efficiently and in a constructive manner.”
Thereafter, the Chairman of the Coordinating Committee and Minister, Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekhar, in his address, emphasized that “Everyone present here is educated. Therefore, all participants should treat one another with mutual respect.” He also expressed his appreciation for the Road Development Department coming under the Northern Provincial Council, noting that it has been implementing its programmes very rapidly and has even been proactively requesting and undertaking additional work.
A number of matters were discussed at this District Coordinating Committee meeting.
The progress of projects being implemented during this year was reviewed individually. In particular, projects implemented by the District Secretariat, projects undertaken by the Central Government, and projects implemented by the Provincial Council were separately analyzed.
Matters relating to resettlement were discussed in detail over an extended period during the meeting.
The Governor emphasized that certificates of conformity (occupancy certificate for buildings) should be made mandatory not only for private buildings but also for government buildings and government departments.
The meeting also reviewed the current progress of decisions taken at the previous District Coordinating Committee meeting, as well as matters submitted to the District Committee through Divisional Coordinating Committee meetings. In addition, due attention was given to requests put forward by Members of Parliament and the Speaker of the Provincial Council.
Among those who attended the meeting were Members of Parliament Hon. Kajenthirakumar Ponnampalam, Hon. Shanmuganathan Sribhavanantharajah, Hon. Jayachandramoorthy Rajeevan, and Hon. Archchuna Ramanathan; Chairman of the Northern Provincial Council Hon. C.V.K. Sivagnanam; the Hon. Deputy Mayor of the Jaffna Municipal Council; Hon. Chairmen of Urban and Pradeshiya Sabhas; the Chief Secretary of the Northern Province; the Commander of the Northern Naval Area; the Deputy Inspector General of Police; senior officers of the armed forces; secretaries of provincial ministries; divisional secretaries; heads of departments; representatives of government and non-governmental organizations; and representatives of community-based organizations.
