Bishop Fernando met with Ranil Wickremesinghe and they spoke about current matters, such as the effects of new projects on nearby fishermen and ties to the Madhu sanctuary. For the president’s office, the prelate praised the government’s ‘efforts’. But there has been no shortage of controversy from part of the Christian community, which accuses the head of state of not doing justice to the victims of the Easter massacre.
The president and the local bishop met with a focus on the growing renewable energy projects in Mannar and the associated worries about potential negative effects on the environment and public health.
The extension of Point Pedro and Mullaitivu as the main hubs for renewable energy was the first topic of discussion during the meeting regarding future development plans for the Mannar district. According to reports, the parties also emphasized how important it is to make sure that development initiatives are strengthened or implemented with complete “respect” for the environment.
The Pmd note continues by explaining that ongoing talks for the sale of excess renewable energy to New Delhi were also brought up during the discussion. A feasibility study to establish a power line between India and Sri Lanka is presently in progress, and additional talks are scheduled for the Indian Foreign Minister’s forthcoming visit to Sri Lanka.
The president and the Christian leader then talked about plans to develop Mannar as a tourism destination, including building the Mannar Fort to draw cruise visitors. While the prelate addressed the head of state and the government, urging them to address the (unresolved) problem of fishermen and the entire fishing industry, Wickremesinghe also emphasized that these initiatives will lead to extensive growth in all sectors of the region’s district in the future.
Meanwhile, the bishop emphasized that the Madhu pilgrims would be given all the facilities they needed to carry out their activities during a separate meeting where he addressed the Mannar District Development Committee meeting at the secretariat.
