President Ranil Wickramasinghe stated that the Trincomalee District Strategic Development Plan is not aimed at the vote, but a project started for the next generation.
The President also emphasized the importance of working together with India in the development of the port and the development of the oil tank complex in accordance with the Trincomalee District Development Plan.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe mentioned this while joining the special discussion held today (14) at Orr’s Hill, Trincomalee on the Trincomalee District Development Plan (Surbana Jurong plan).
Recalling the objections raised during the provision of oil tankers to India, the President said that the country would not have faced a fuel crisis if the decision to provide the oil tankers had been given the opportunity to be fully implemented.
Before the discussion started, President Ranil Wickramasinghe also observed several places proposed to be developed under the Trincomalee District Development Plan from Orr’s Hill.
Also, after the discussion, the President also joined to observe the proposed project site to develop the beach near Trincomalee Gandhi Roundabout as a tourist attraction.
Meanwhile, President Ranil Wickramasinghe who also met a group of Trincomalee District regional journalists did not forget to inquire about their information.
Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe, who further commented in the discussion on the Trincomalee District Development Plan,
We are running this project not for the next election, but for the next generation. 2023 we celebrate 75th Independence Day Anniversary. 25 years left to complete 100 years of independence. This work should be done before that.
So let’s reduce the 2018-2050 plans to 2020-2048. We want to make great progress in this eastern province during that time. I am not saying that it can be done in the next 05 years. We say it should start. You have to move on from there.
When Polonnaruwa was the capital, Trincomalee port was a big port. That day we were shown the Bay of Bengal map around Trincomalee. The Bay of Bengal region is still underdeveloped. It will take another 10-15 years to achieve that development. The development in Thailand has now come to the West. It has not yet started in Myanmar, it has just started in Bangladesh. That work is being carried out in Java Sumatra. It will become important as a port in the next 10-15 years. Our endeavor is to make Sri Lanka a port hub.
Trincomalee port should be made into a deep port. The Eastern Province plays an important role in naval affairs.
Trincomalee Port needs to be made into a leading strategic port. That means developing it in such a way that we can carry out our own naval operations. By that time, I think our navy will have more ships than it has now. We should work together with India when planning these activities. Because India is closer to us, it is very important.
Currently, several programs are being discussed with India. Therefore, we have to continue the work of this Sampur plant. If there is an obstacle to this, the work will have to be taken directly under the government.
We signed the Trincomalee Port Agreement in 2003. Since 2003, there was a lot of opposition from trade unions regarding the provision of oil tankers. If we had provided oil tankers then, we would have oil today, we wouldn’t have to stand in queues, we wouldn’t have to riot. These problems arose because of the lack of oil. Why did the oil disappear, even if the country’s economy collapsed, there would have been oil in the oil tanks. But the oil tanks are empty. That’s why the oil tanks of our vehicles are also empty, if we had done this then, we would not have any problem today.
Such barriers cannot be allowed again. It should be done for the people of this area. I will also submit this plan to the Parliament, and after the Parliament agrees, it will be enacted. Because governments can change, parliaments can change. But policies cannot be changed. Therefore, we should move forward without obstacles.
We are working with India on renewable energy. It operates in Trincomalee, based on the relations with India Trincomalee should be made an energy hub. With the development of renewable energy, value additions such as green hydrogen and green ammonia should be made to it. So we need a port to export green hydrogen. The potential here should be taken into account.
Considering the North, North Central and Eastern province, its central port should be Trincomalee port. Maybe in the future we will be able to make a way to Singapore as well. There is a lot of room for improvement. The economic potential of this province is very large. Aiming at that, we should develop this.
Economically, this port city cannot be limited to Trincomalee district. This should be connected with Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Dambulla cities. The Wanni, East and North Central areas produce a large amount of food in the country. If food products are to be exported, it should be done from here.
Today we export flour. We do not grow wheat, but we do export. It is done by Prima Institute. It is one of our main exports
and wheat flour. We take it outside and export it. Other similar materials can also be exported in the same way. Let’s consider it.
It has been agreed with India to develop industries in this province. Accordingly, an industrial zone should also be created. I have suggested that Sri Lanka and India jointly carry out those activities. Then the port has something to do with it. It is planned to appoint a joint team on that.
Before getting their opinions we need to consider the economic side. From the economic point of view, we have the tourism industry. In particular, there is the cultural triangle of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla. Therefore, the number of tourists is increasing.
Although Trincomalee has an airport, large aircraft cannot land there. Therefore, Higurakgoda or Vavuniya have to be turned into an international airport. There is an opportunity to develop the tourism industry from Trincomalee to Batticaloa.
We need to create a complete plan to develop the Eastern Province. There is also a program to develop the Northern Province. Trincomalee lies between the north and the east. Also, in the north, a large part of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts belong to this province. This joint program cannot be done in 05 years. It can be done in 20-25 years. It took 10 years to complete the Mahaweli Development Project. We hope to discuss this basic work and inform the cabinet about it and then proceed further.
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of State Dilum Amunugama, Presidential Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake, Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath, Trincomalee District Secretary, Eastern Province Chief Secretary, Governor’s Secretary and officials of line institutions including Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Planning Board, Urban Development Authority, Mr. Ketan Kulkarni, Chief Planning Executive of Surbana Jurong Institute, who provided advisory contribution in creating the Trincomalee District Development Plan, covering the Eastern Province Senior officers of the armed forces and the police attended the discussion.