Colombo: India has spent USD four million
on demining operations in Sri Lanka`s North and East to
facilitate resettlement of Tamil civilians displaced during
the ethnic conflict which ended in May last year following the
defeat of the LTTE.
The seven Indian demining teams in Sri Lanka are fully
funded by New Delhi, an Indian High Commission release said on Tuesday.
They have been deployed at a cost of Sri Lankan Rs 450
million (USD four million), it said.
Indian High Commissioner Ashok K Kantha, accompanied by
Maj Gen Atula Jayawardena, SF commander (Mullaitivu), recently
visited the field camp of an Indian demining team at
Oddusuddan and Kathaliyarsamalankulam Grama Niladhari
divisions.
The camp is managed by Sarvatra Technical Consultants, an
India-based demining organisation, which along with another
Indian group Horizon Assignments runs all the seven demining
teams in Sri Lanka.
The Indian teams have so far cleared an area of
approximately 63,012,876 square metres in the districts of
Vavuniya and Mannar, making them fit for habitation and
resumption of cultivation and other economic activities.
In addition to these, the demining teams have been
engaged in carrying out a non-technical survey in vast areas
in Mullaitivu district in the Kokkilaim and in the Vavuniya
district`s Puliyankulam region.
This is to identify the exact areas that require
demining, while releasing the balance areas for re-settlement.
During the field visit, the Indian High Commissioner was
briefed about the work of the seven Indian teams, the progress
registered in demining and future tasks and objectives
assigned to the demining teams by Sri Lanka.
He was also briefed about the new and innovative methods
used by the Indian teams and the high-risk exposure to the
personnel deployed for such operations.
PTI
