We don’t like change

Our desire is to have Agro based development. We wish to engage in small medium level industries. We don’t want to plan for large scale industries and to alter the Agro based back ground, said Justice C.V. Wigneswaran to the World Bank Representatives who met him day before yesterday regarding the development of Metropolitan type town planning. Ming Sang, a high level official from the World Bank said that instruction had been received from World Bank to extend the Metropolitan scheme which being implemented now in Kandy and Galle to north also.

Elaborating on his ideas, the CM said here that, The northern Province is completely different from other Provinces. You should note that, the people who live in North and Eastern Provinces do have a different Language, religions and cultures.

You could observe that, geologically, the Northern Province is different. There are no rivers in the North nor waterfalls. We have to draw our water from wells and tanks. We are also different historically. We are a people with 2,000 years long history. Now Northern Province is affected by the war.

First our areas should be brought to their natural routine stage. Kandy and Galle are developed towns. You should realize that, as far as we are concerned, we are an un-developed area, excluded by the Central Government.

Our desire is to have agro based development. We wish to engage in small medium level industries. We don’t want to plan for large scale industries and to alter the Agro based back ground.

Further, sectors like Tourist sector should be developed in a way appropriate to our culture and environment.Skyscrapers and other mega structures are not appropriate to our environment.

More the 150,000 of our people are living in south India. When they are called back the population will increase. Politically the Northern and Eastern Provinces had demonstrated their uniqueness from the independence. When we are evaluated together with other Provinces our uniqueness was affected.

The 13 amendment was passed only for the North and East. But its uniqueness was eliminated by them by establishing Provincial Councils all over the country. The minimum amount of powers granted under 13 also was grabbed back by through the Central Government authorities like Mahaweli Development Authority and Urban Development Authority. We see this also in the same vein. I think that the Central Government is undertaking activities autocratically, without consulting us regarding the development for us. We cannot accept this position. Facilities should be provided to us to undertake our development, he had said.(Tamil Diplomat)