A large amount of garbage has been dumped in the wells of the Valikamam north and east areas that were recently released for resettlement from High Security Zones (HSZ), Villagers complained.
Several wells found in the lands now settled by the public are currently damaged and the water is not fit for consumption, villagers complained.
701.5 acres of land were released on 29 December 2015 in Valikamam north and east from the HSZ.
It is now noted that many of the wells people used in these areas were used as a garbage dump-yard by the army and closed, thus causing inconvenience to the people who are preparing to resettle in their villages.
Villagers have complained about their damaged wells to the Tamil National Alliance(TNA) parliamentarian Mavai Senathiraja when he visited the areas recently.
“We went searching for our wells and suddenly we came across garbage pits that used to be our wells which we used for nearly three decades for water consumption,” villagers added.
Meanwhile, speaking to the villagers Senathirajah said that he hopes the government would release 600 acres of land in Jaffna to their rightful owners before the Thaipongal Festival.
During the visit to the recently released areas in Valikamam north in the district of Jaffna on Monday(11) he stated that releasing the land and resettlement in the area had already been discussed with President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
He further stated that 5,048 acres of land belonging to the public are still under the control of the security forces in the peninsula.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the district and divisional secretariats that are in-charge of Valikamam are taking necessary steps to refurbish the damaged and missing wells in the lands that have been released for resettlement from the HSZ.
BY S.S. Sakthi / CT