INDIA’s High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Mr. Alok Prasad along with a few other embassy officials was in Vavuniya early this week with a view to getting first-hand experience of ground realities in Relief Villages (Centers for Internal Displaced Persons).
Competent Authority for the Northern Province Major General G.A. Chandrasiri warmly received the diplomatic delegation at Manik Farm Relief Village where he presented a comprehensive picture of the services and arrangements in place at those centers before commencement of their itinerary. He also referred to infrastructure and arrangements in other IDP centers elsewhere in Jaffna, Mannar, Pulmoddai and Vavuniya suburbs and also how the Zone IV IDP center is run as a model Relief Village. Major General G.A. Chandrasiri during his brief also touched the question of modalities and strategies, adopted by Army troops in their rescue operations that made some 300,000 trapped civilians to enter government-held areas.
Mr. Alok Prasad afterwards visited Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters in Vavuniya in order to receive a brief account regarding operability of the India-gifted radar system, which in the past enormously helped Air Force to counter LTTE threats.
Next stop for the delegation in Vavuniya was where Indian doctors were serving in the makeshift hospital at Manik Farm Ananda Cumaraswamy Relief Village. Head of the medical staff Dr. Wasantha Kumar briefed the visitors on the commitment and dedication of his staff for promotion of health among inmates living in Relief Villages. Diplomats spoke to a couple of patients receiving treatment in this hospital and shared a few thoughts with them. The visiting diplomats commended their role and reminded them that their services would serve a stimulus for further promotion of bilateral relations. Later on, the diplomats inspected medical stores on the relief camp and saw for themselves how medical supplies are generally coordinated and dispatched with the support of Army and civil authorities.
The delegation also did not fail to visit all zones under the Settikulam relief village complex and saw for themselves how infrastructure for those places was in place after talking to a representative section of the displaced people. They were particularly impressed with educational facilities being provided to displaced students in those centres. Mr. Prasad saw how a class for ordinary level students was on in this Relief Village. Towards the end of the visit, Mr. Alok Prasad expressed his satisfaction on ongoing IDP relief services and the implementation of resettlement programmes, spearheaded by the government.
Deputy High Commissioner of India Mr. Vikran Mishri and Defence attaché Captain Pradeep Singh were also associated during the tour.
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