The letter of Thunnaalai S. A. Masilamany of Colombo 6, in the Views/Opinions page of ‘The Island’ on November 24 is worthy of note.

He requests the Government to leave no stone unturned to increase Agricultural production immediately as the farmers are prepared to meet the food needs of the people. He suggests that those in the IDP settlements and farmers in Polonnaruwa, Jaffna and Batticaloa be encouraged to cultivate. Surely they can do wonders in paddy production maintaining dairy farms, and even in vegetable cultivation, he asserts.

The purpose of the letter is understandable, Thunnaalai S. A. Masilamani is very concerned about what is happening in the North and East in the guise of development.

The price of food including dairy products is soaring, in spite of politicians’ rhetoric. Rice and all other food items that can be produced in this country, are being imported using valuable foreign exchange.

There are a large number of IDPs fed by the government spending millions of rupees daily. They need houses to live, also they need a livelihood. That is a potential labour force, for any development work.

There are a large number of reservoirs scattered all over in the North and the East. Rehabilitating all these Wewas with help of the IDPs as well as members of the civil defence force who are at present paid for nothing, will therefore be the most sustainable solution for almost all problems and grievances of not only the IDPs but also others in the North and East.

Why Thunnaalai S. A. Masilamani wants the government to leave no stone unturned to increase agricultural development immediately is because, something else is happening in the name of the development. Why do we need mega roads when the people need rice to eat? Why do we need mega cities and factories? Why do we need holiday resorts to create jobs for IDPs and the others in the area when there are thousands of reservoirs that need only minor reconstruction and rehabilitation work.

Why spend billions for slum like housing schemes for soldiers when they could be given land under the irrigation schemes for their livelihood as well as for constructing a house?

The request for the construction of mega roads, mega cities, holiday resorts are not the voice of the people who live in this country. That is not the public opinion of the people in Sri Lanka.