Steps will be taken to release all plots of lands that were taken over by security forces during the war and return them to the civilians, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has stated.

The President made this statement while attending a public meeting organized by the National People’s Power (NPP) in Kilinochchi.

Expressing his views at the event, the President said that the current government will support the reconstruction of the houses that were destroyed during the war, and steps will also be taken to reopen the main roads in Kilinochchi that were closed during the conflict.

Further expressing his views, the President said:

“We know that lands belonging to civilians have been handed over to the military citing security reasons.

We have discussed with the relevant military officers and commanders. We are taking steps to return every inch of land that can be released back to civilians.

Not only that, some lands that have been traditionally used for cultivation were taken over by the Forest Conservation Department based on Google Maps. These are lands cultivated by the people of this region, and we are taking steps to return them after proper examination.

Similarly, several roads have been closed. In Colombo, the roads in front of the Presidential Secretariat and the President’s House have been opened. Then why are the roads in Kilinochchi still closed? We will reopen all those roads so that people can travel freely. We have already reopened a large number of roads in Jaffna. We want to bring this country back to normal.

We also recognize that many people in the North have lost their houses due to the war and do not have the means to rebuild. Our government will support the construction of houses for all those people.”