Direct flights between Jaffna and Chennai have resumed after a lapse of three years.

The first flight from Chennai since 2019 arrived this morning at the Jaffna International Airport.

The first flight will landed at the Jaffna International Airport from Chennai at 10.50am.

The Alliance Air flight was scheduled depart for Chennai at 11.50am.Four flights will operate between Chennai and Jaffna weekly.

Meanwhile, according to inquiries made by NewsRadio, a one-way flight from Jaffna to Chennai will cost approximately Rs.41,800.

The Palaly Airport was redeveloped and named the Jaffna International Airport in October 2019 by the then Good Governance Government.

The first international flight to land there was from Chennai.

India’s Alliance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, operated three weekly flights from Chennai to Jaffna.

However, after the appointment of a new government in November 2019, flight operations were halted.

The new administration however has taken steps to resume flight at the Jaffna International Airport.

The runway is expected to be redeveloped to accommodate mush larger aircrafts in future.

Minister of Urban Development Prasanna Ranatunga says relevant units have been advised to fast track development initiatives in Colombo, Hambantota, Trincomalee and Jaffna.

The Urban Development Ministry issuing a statement said the cities are identified as the four major cities for physical resource development.

Minister Ranatunga said nine economic corridors have been identified connecting the four cities.

The Ministry noted that Colombo has been identified as the main commercial and financial hub of the country while the Urban Development Authority has already published the Colombo City Development Plan for the next eight years via a Gazette.

Under this programme, the Kirimandala Mawatha City Development Project and the Urban Revitalization Housing Projects are underway while the Borella city development plan is being compiled.

The Ministry stated that the Hambantota City Development Plan will be updated while the international conference hall, port, Mattala Airport, dry zone botanical garden and administrative complex identified under this plan have already been completed.

The preparation of the Trincomalee City Development Plan has already commenced to identify Trincomalee as a major commercial city and include several local government bodies.

Accordingly, the Trincomalee port development, oil terminal development and Kappalthurai industrial zone are expected to be developed while arrangements have been made to prepare plans in consultation with the relevant institutions.

Minister Ranatunga said a development plan for the Jaffna Peninsula is also being prepared and under the plan the Kankasanthurai city development, port development, expansion of the Palali airport facilities, industrial and information technology development and several mixed development projects are expected to be implemented.

The Urban Development Minister said alongside these four major city development projects, Dambulla, Kandy and Galle development efforts have also commenced.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today recalled the role played by India to restore a temple in Mannar.

He said that India restored the Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar which was closed for 12 years.

“Even in Sri Lanka, we restored the Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar. This temple was closed for 12 years. So the fact that we took interest, made efforts, has made it possible for the revival of that temple,” he said.

He expressed these views while addressing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam on the subject ‘contribution of temples in society and nation building’ held in Varanasi.

Thiruketheeswaram Temple, one of the five sacred Ishwarams dedicated to Lord Shiva, is venerated by Shaivites throughout the subcontinent and the temple was testimony to the most difficult period in the history of Sri Lanka as it was closed for 12 years during the armed conflict and reopened in 2002.

Addressing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam Jaishankar said, “There are temples not only in India, not only in the Indian subcontinent, but in many regions beyond.”

MP Sajith Premadasa has been unanimously re-elected as the Leader of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) at the party’s annual conference currently underway at Campbell Park in Borella.

Taking to the stage, SJB general secretary MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara nominated the Opposition Leader’s name for the position of party leader for the year 2023 and asked for a show of hands to second it.

Accordingly, Mr. Premadasa was unanimously re-elected as the party’s leader for the year 2023.

The party leader then proceeded to take the stage to announce the names of the party’s office bearers for next year.

MP Sarath Fonseka was re-appointed as the Chairman of the party while MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara has been chosen as the SJB’s General Secretary once again.

MP Dr. Harsha de Silva was appointed as the Treasurer of the party and MP Tissa Attanayake was re-appointed as the National Organiser.

The third annual party conference of Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) commenced at 01.00 p.m. at Campbell Park, Borella today (11) with the participation of parliamentarians and members of the alliance and leaders of many other friendly parties.

MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara said that this conference has been organized to strengthen party ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

“Sri Lanka has missed its target of obtaining Executive Board approval from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due to the delay in getting financial assurances from its creditors, and expects the IMF approval to be granted by mid-January,” said Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.

Speaking in an interview with TVDerana last Thursday (8), he said that Sri Lanka was unable to obtain financial assurances from creditors in the month of November as expected in the timeline presented to the public because certain creditors had internal issues to iron out.

“We were not able to get the financial assurances in the month of November. Had we been able to get them in November, we were targeting 19 December for the next IMF board meeting (to obtain IMF approval),” he said.

However, he added that Sri Lanka had missed that target due to certain reasons that he was not at liberty to disclose.

Moreover, he said that there was a delay in sharing information with all creditors on an equal, comparable, and open basis, as Sri Lanka was unable to share the necessary information with all creditors at the same time.

However, the Governor said that, as reported by the media, several partners such as Paris Club member nations, India, and China have already indicated their willingness to support Sri Lanka.

However, he said that Sri Lanka needs to get its creditors to agree to express their willingness to extend financial assistance in a formal statement to the IMF, which will then need a maximum of two to three weeks before External Board approval is obtained for the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

He said that Sri Lanka is almost done with the process, and added that if the country can get the necessary financial assurances in December, the IMF’s Executive Board can then approve the programme in January.

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has still to pay USD 554.33 million or RMB Yuan 673.43 to the developers of the Hambantota Port, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) through Exim Bank of China and the loan servicing is being carried out by the General Treasury.

On the question of what the SLPA’s 15 per cent stake, in money terms, earned annually under the leasing agreement, while the Hambantota Port’s 85% was sold to the Chinese, the SLPA responded that the royalty received annually from the Hambantota port up to now equaled USD 100,000 (LKR and USD proportionately) based on the proportion of the USD and LKR revenue collected by the established company.

So far the GoSL has paid USD 352.38 million or RMB Yuan 26.94 million to CHEC for developing the Hambantota Port.

Ceylon Today, through RTI application, obtained details from the Ministry of Finance – Department of External Resources and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) as both Ministries had dealt with the developing and leasing of the Hambantota Port to the Chinese Government.

Based on the RTI, the Phase 1 of the Hambantota Port development incurred USD 447 million obtained from Exim Bank China, while, the SLPA had spent Rs 5,862 million.

The first phase was initiated on 18 November 2010 and it was completed in 2017.

Thereafter, in 2017 the GoSL, unable to repay the debt taken from CHEC, offered the Hambantota Port on a 99-year lease to Chinese company known as China Merchant Port Holding Company Limited and the Finance Ministry took over finance dealings from Sri Lanka Ports Authority and still continues to pay the developers – the CHEC, though their General Treasury.

The GoSL failed to settle the old loan taken for the development even after it was leased for 99 years for 1.4 billion and that led the government to still pay the initial loan.

According to the RTI obtained from the SLPA, they are not carrying out the repaying of the Hambantota port loan based on the decisions taken by the Cabinet of Ministers.

By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan