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Subash, Gnanam hotels to be made accessible to Jaffna visitors

by Ranil Wijayapala

The Subash and Gnanam hotels in Jaffna will be accessible to visitors to Jaffna once the Sri Lanka Army completes the relocation of the 52nd Divisional Headquarters and its allied Brigade Headquarters to a new location, Defence Ministry sources said yesterday. The Defence Ministry has taken this initiative after considering a number of requests from businessmen, TNA MPs, people's organisations and also from the LTTE to release the Subash and Gnanam hotels for normal business.

The strong request came from all these sections in Jaffna as there are no proper hotels for visitors to Jaffna to stay there.

Eighty one private residences in the location of the 52nd Divisional Headquarters and the allied Brigade Headquarters of the Sri Lanka Army will also be given back to the respective owners after completing the relocation process.

Defence Secretary Austin Fernando however told the Daily News yesterday that the Government will have to reconsider this decision if there is strong protest from civil and political organisations in the peninsula to this relocation plan.

He said the only available land for this relocation was found only adjoining the Jaffna city, the Jaffna Municipal Council office land, Town Hall land and other blocks of lands belong to the Police Department.

"These are the only blocks of lands coming under the state and local government authorities within the Jaffna city limits where no buildings or any other constructions are available", he said.The Defence Secretary said the same group of organisations who demanded the release of the Subash and Gnanam hotels for business are protesting the relocation of these administrative sections of the Army to this new venue.

Fernando said that the Government has also obtained the necessary funds for the relocation of these Army camps under the Indian Line of Credit facility and if there is no opposition the Army will be able to complete their task soon. "We are not ready to shift the Divisional Headquarters and the Brigade Headquarters to faraway places from Jaffna city", he added.He said the Government also informed the LTTE at the Hakone talks that they are going to release these two renowned hotels and 81 private residences to the respective owners.

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