Annual Report 2008 - Ministry of Finance and Planning

2. Fiscal Developments - 2008
116
Box 2.9
“Negenahira Navodaya” - the Road of Recovery from Terrorism to Development
The terrorist activities over the past two and half decades
has taken a toll in economic development and stymied
the growth of the Eastern Province (EP). However, the
Government wrested the control over the lands that were
being dominated by the terrorist groups and created a
conducive environment for the resumption of normalcy in
the region. “Negenahira Navodaya” is the lead programme
incorporating the core components of “Mahinda Chinthana”
programme for restoration of law and order followed civil
administration, speedy implementation of reconstruction
of social and economic infrastructure, demining activities,
resettlement, infrastructure and industrial development
that would reduce the regional imbalances and enable
sustainable economic revival in the East.
Government of Sri Lanka was compelled to respond to terrorist
attacks militarily in July 2006 to eradicate terrorism starting
with the humanitarian operation to re-open the Mavilaru
sluice gate closed by the terrorists in the Eastern Province.
This resulted in the successful liberation of the entire
Eastern Province from the clutches of the terrorists paving
the way for immediate restoration of fundamental rights
ensuring the safety of the people in the region and helped
to venture into reviving the livelihoods of the communities.
The local Government election in the liberated areas in the
EP was held in March 2008 followed by Provincial Council
Elections in May 2008, thus restoring the democracy and
the administration structure in the region.
In order to strengthen the institutional capacity to maintain
law and order the establishment of new police stations,
police posts, accommodation facilities for police officers
were carried out while 18 judiciary courts were made to
functional throughout the province. Further, 301 Tamil
speaking police officers from the Eastern Province were
recruited and deployed.
Institutions for Maintaining Law and Order
District
Number
05 new police stations
Batticaloa
41 new police posts
Trincomalee
07 new police stations
Ampara
6 new police stations
Source : Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure
Development
The Eastern Province with a estimated population of 1.5
million constitutes 15 percent of the total land area of the
country which contains one sixth of the country’s total
paddy lands. Government had identified the vast potential
in the Eastern Province and with great emphasis embarked
on agricultural sector development in rural areas through
revitalization of this productive sector of the economy.
Resources were allocated to provide fertilizer, seeds,
agricultural equipment, and financial support to the farmers.
This has resulted in increasing the extent of cultivated land,
production and the yield of paddy and the success of the
other major subsidiary crops as well. In addition, vegetable
cultivation also had gathered momentum with the cultivated
extent increasing from 5,345 ha in 2006 to 9,518 ha in 2008
and the production increasing from 80,175 metric tons in
2006 to 142,770 metric tons in 2008.
Kokkaddichola New Police Station
Ministry of Finance and Planning Sri Lanka
Annual Report 2008