I travel to Jaffna by air. A return ticket costs Rs. 31,000 and one way fare is Rs. 15,500. If I am lucky, I may get a seat for Rs. 9,500 for one way.

Why should I be made to pay Rs. 31,000 to visit my birth place which is only about 400 kilometres away, when I can go there and come back overland now that the route is open by spending only Rs. 500 each way?

I have been living in Colombo since 1940s, when I found employment. After retirement, I stayed in Colombo for some years but, being a bachelor, travelled very often to Jaffna to see my parents, relations and friends.

In 1990, I decided to return to Jaffna for good and sent most of my belongings there. But before I could go, an exodus began during the latter part of that year and the village in which I was born and bred and my house were brought under a high security zone.

Now the LTTEhas been defeated and I can go back to my toots but the cost of travel is prohibitive. How can I pay Rs. 31,000?