A-9 VAVUNIYA - JAFFNA ROAD OPENING: MOST BENEFICIAL TO SINHALA TROOPS!!!

A9 opened for ‘Jaffna convoys’
by Shamindra Feridinando


With the opening of the Kandy-Jaffna A9 road today (March 2), the government will be able to sharply reduce the scope of a costly naval operation to move military and civilian supplies to the Jaffna peninsula, officials said.


The SLAF, too, could lessen its flights to and from the peninsula, they said. Three private airline operators, Expo Air, Deccan Air and Daya Aviation may face tough competition after the launch of luxury bus services to the Jaffna peninsula, they said, asserting that the opening of the overland route would help bring down the cost of living.

Military spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told The Island that the opening of the A9 would be limited to the armed forces and police. Responding to our queries, he said that although the option of sea movements would remain, the armed forces would largely depend on the overland route. The first convoys to and from the Jaffna peninsula will move today, he said.

The Trincomalee-KKS sea supply route was maintained by the navy at a tremendous cost to the taxpayer, since the government lost control of the A9 during the Premadasa administration in the 1990. The navy had paid a heavy price in both men and material to sustain the lifeline.

The opening of the A9 for military traffic would benefit thousands of men deployed in the Jaffna peninsula and islands. Although 55 and 53 Divisions deployed on the former Jaffna frontline had moved across Elephant Pass to the south for operations on the eastern flank, Jaffna is home to a sizeable number of men.

Transport Ministry spokesperson Sumith Chandana Weerasinghe yesterday told ‘The Island’ that they were ready to set up three bus routes to the Jaffna peninsula once the army cleared the A9 for civilian traffic. The SLTB would link Jaffna with Vavuniya, Kandy and Colombo in the first phase, he said, adding that already 15 buses had been allocated for this purpose. "We intended to gradually expand services in the entire Northern Province," he said. According to him, they were in the process of setting up depots at Mannar and Silavathurai. He emphasized the importance of setting up depots at Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.

Responding to our queries, he said that the National Transport Commission (NTC) would shortly call for tenders to launch private bus services to the Jaffna peninsula. Although Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma could issue permits, he had called for a transparent procedure to select private bus operators with a view to avoiding any controversy.The private bus operators could launch regular and luxury services, he said, while ruling out the possibility of the SLTB starting luxury services.

Weerasinghe said that the work on the northern railway line was underway to meet the April 23 deadline to restore the track at least up to Thandikulam. But if work goes ahead without any setbacks, the department would be able to restore the track up to Omanthai, the previous entry/exit point to the LTTE-held region, he said. Sri Lanka is set to receive Iranian financial assistance to carry out the project, he said.

He said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would unveil a mega project to raise funds for the restoration of the 154 km Vavuniya-Kankesanthurai northern line on March 19. The project is estimated to cost Rs. 5 billion. The government would call for public contributions to procure sleepers, each at a cost of Rs. 12,500. He also said that the Railways Department would issue a special Colombo-Jaffna railway ticket which could be used once the services were restored by end of this year.

SLAF spokesperson Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara told The Island that they had maintained services to the peninsula with limited resources. The Ratmalana based transport squadrons of C 130s and AN 32s played a critical role in moving men and supplies on a priority basis. But with the re-opening of the A9, the SLAF’s workload would be lessened, he said.


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