Kilinochchi struggles to leave past behind

The major problem Kilinochchi faces is the rising unemployment.

Remnants of an overhead watertank in Killinochchi reportedly destroyed by theLTTE in December 2008, before the fall of thetown in January 2009. Photo: T. Ramakrishnan

Those who pass through Kilinochchi, which served as the headquarters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) till the end of 2008, hardly miss the sight of a fallen overhead water tank in the city.

Perhaps this is the only “symbol of the past” that has been allowed by the government to remain.

The area around the destroyed water tank, which is said to have been destroyed by the LTTE, has been developed into a small park with a hoarding, which reads “say no to destruction”.

After a change in government in January, people feel free to talk and debate various issues, says Prathap, a young farmer. Hailing from Pandiankulam near here, he says the major problem Kilinochchi faces is the rising number of unemployment. “Here, everyone wants a government job.” There is a sense of continued alienation among certain sections of society.

A former student of the Killinochchi Central College, pointing to the absence of a compound wall for the College’s ground, asks whether any such institution in Colombo would have such a state of affairs.

Hoping for change

Commenting on the general situation, Selvam Adaikalanathan, one of the candidates of the Tamil National Alliance, says that when Mahinda Rajapaksa was President, the TNA Members of Parliament were ignored. He hopes that the situation will change in the future.