Thursday 18 February 2016

Muththur Resettlement Issue

In 2006 about 900 families were displaced from Sampur area, Nawarathnepuram and Kunathive of Muthur DS division due to war. From June 2006 they altogether lived in Kattaparichchan (KP) displaced camp until 2013 April.
According to the information received from the people, after redusing the HSZ cover,  respectively in 18.04. 2013 and 21.04.2013,  132 families resettled in Nawarathnapuram and 89 Families were resettled in Kunathive  from kattaparichchan camp. Both places were the original pleases of the families resettled. 

What has happened to the other families in Kattaparichchan camp? and where they from? 

411 families still live in the same camp without any official record. according to the people still in camp, in official records says that,  these families living with relatives in some other areas. Government showing that there are no more people to resettle.
According to the information provided by Muthur DS  to ZOA (a NGO working with war affected people) "Families from 4 GN divisions = Sampoor West (448F), Sampoor East (355F), Kadatkaraichchenai (113F), Sambookalli  (?) are still not able to resettle in their original places. The Government is proposing relocations in Koonitheevu and Navaretnapuram for 483 Families from these remaining 916 (283F + 168F + 32F respectively). Other locations have been suggested by GoSL for the remainder. On a more positive note, there have also been reports that plans are being made to return a further 400 to 500 families to parts of Sampoor East and West, Sambookalli, and Kooneetheevu North, but this is not yet confirmed.There are still 3 IDP camps functioning in Muthur division; Kiliveddi,  Manachchenai  and Paddiyadithidal camp"

These families were lived in Sampoor area before the displacement.after the end of war about 800 acres were taken over by government and maintain as HSZ hoping to build coal power plant with Indian investment.
Families still living in KP. camp asking the original lands they lived in before displacement. But authorities not listening to them.
According to these people still in displaced camp, funniest things happening when foreign diplomatic visitors reach to north and east to study the resettlement progress.
before in such diplomatic visit, In Muthur, A team (representing government) has reached to the camp and asked to draw a banner in Tamil, to a man, saying that, " THANKS TO THE PRESIDENT AND THE GOVERNMENT FOR RESETTLING US IN OUR ORIGINAL VILLAGES OF NAWANETHAPURAM, KUNATHIVE, AND SAMPOOR" 
Since the Sampoor people not resettled yet, man who draw the banner have change the words as "Thanks for the precident and the government for resettling people, their original villages of Nawanethapuram and Kunathive, please take steps to resettle Sampoor displaced people too"  
So, the banner is not according to the order, Sampoor people, in KP camp had no any chance to meet foreign diplomats. for them, another team (from the government it self), with makeup have participate to the meeting and show the gratitude to the government.  


    For these people, only allowed to do their fisheries job to conduct in Villu kulam (Villu Tank) even that, only up to 40 families. about 15 fishers conducting filter net fishery near by waters and 3 beach seine nets are operating. since no records on them, they are not receiving any government assistance as displaced people.

there are about 800 youth and children ages less than 18 years, some studying in near by temporary sch

coal power plant at Sampur in the Trincomalee district of the Eastern Province

ri Lanka, India to finalize agreement on power plant during Indian Minister's visit tomorrow 
Sun, Oct 6, 2013, 08:10 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka. 
Oct 06, Colombo: Sri Lanka and India finally will finalize the deal to set up a 500 MW coal power plant at Sampur in the Trincomalee district of the Eastern Province, during India's External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid's visit to the island tomorrow. 
Additional Secretary of the Power and Energy Ministry, Ranjith Gunawardena said the Sri Lankan and Indian parties have managed to finalize a power purchase agreement for the proposed 500MW coal power plant.  
The joint venture plant between the Ceylon Electricity Board and India's National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has been delayed due to disputes over several issues including the parameters that indicate the efficiency of the plant and maintenance fees. 
NTPC Limited signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Government of Sri Lanka and Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) for development of a 2X250 MW Coal based Power Project at Trincomalee in December 2006 and the project was to be developed through a joint venture company between NTPC and the CEB. 
A Joint Venture company named Trincomalee Power Company Limited (TPCL) was incorporated in Colombo in September 2011 with equal equity participation from NTPC and CEB for the US$500 million investment to set up the two 250 MW coal based power plants in Sampur. 
However, the discussions over technical parameters and power purchase agreement dragged on delaying the implementation of the project. 
Following India's voting for the US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka, speculations were swirling in both countries that Sri Lanka would hand over the mega project to China. 
Power and Energy Ministry official said that international tenders for the coal power plant project would be called soon after signing the agreement and the two, 250 MW coal power generators will be installed. 
A 240 kilometer long 220 kV transmission line will be constructed from Sampur to the 20kV/132kV Grid Substations at Veyangoda to connect the power plant to the national grid. A coal unloading jetty will also be constructed in Sampur for coal shipments. 
The Power and Energy Ministry expects to link the power plan to the national grid in 2017. The inking of power generation to the national grid is expected to minimize the CEB's dependence of purchasing power from private suppliers and the operation of fuel and thermal based power plants. 
The project is expected to significantly enhance the generation capacity of the CEB and enable it to reduce average generation cost of a unit.