In an attempt to boost connectivity with each other, neighbours India and Sri Lanka to go ahead with two connectivity proposals which are considered key in enhancing people-to-people connectivity especially between the Northern region of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu.
Sri Lanka, which is going through its worst economic crisis, approved the two proposals this week. According to Sri Lanka’s Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, , a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 13 June to resume flights between Jaffna International Airport in Palaly and Tiruchirappalli Airport in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, a ferry service would be launched between Kankesanthurai, Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka to Karaikal in Puducherry, a Union Territory in Tamil Nadu, India as the second connectivity project.
The proposal for the ferry service has long been on the cards. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare of India Mansukh Mandaviya also commented on the project last year.
Minister Mandaviya in a tweet said he met with officials over the proposal and that it will ensure easy and cheap connectivity, thereby enhancing various economic activities between the two neighbours.
Similarly, Chairman of Jaffna District Development Committee MP Angajan Ramanathan tweeted early last year and said that the MoU was signed between Sagarmala Development Company Limited and INDSRI Ferry Services Pvt Ltd for Passenger Shipping Service from Kankesanthurai or KKS Port to Karaikal Port and the sea connectivity between India and Sri Lanka will strengthen bilateral relations.
However, Minister Douglas Devananda told media after the Cabinet approval was granted to the project this week that the subject minister will study the proposal and then forward it to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. “The process should begin by next month,” he said.
Commenting on the resumption of flights from Jaffna to Puducherry, Minister Devananda said the flights would launch as soon as refurbishment works of the airport are completed, and once the Immigration and Customs services are revived.
While these projects were being implemented, plans were afoot to connect the Northern region with South India as well. However, the project to launch flights from Jaffna to Chennai operated by Alliance Air was not materialised until November 2019, only to be suspended amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out soon after.
Last week, Sri Lankan Premier Wickremesinghe said in Parliament that India was the only country that gives money to Sri Lanka for fuel. “No country is giving us money for fuel and coal. Only India is giving. Our Indian credit line is now nearing its end. We are talking about extending it,” he said.
In late May, Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Gopal Baglay handed over a consignment comprising of 9,000 metric tons of rice, 50 metric tons of milk powder, and over 25 metric tons of drugs and other pharmaceutical supplies to Sri Lanka.
Soon after the economic crisis hit Sri Lanka, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited the country and said on March 30 that the Indian system is working “overtime” to expedite its assistance to Sri Lanka.
