> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Mano Ganesan Urges Direct Global Links for Jaffna, Accusing Bimal Rathnayake of Standing in the Way - URL: https://www.jaffnamonitor.com/featured/mano-ganesan-urges-direct-global-links-for-jaffna-accusing-bimal-rathnayake-of-standing-in-the-way/ - Published: 2026-08-29T13:37:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-29T17:42:18.000Z - Author: Our Reporter - Tags: August 2026 **JAFFNA, Sri Lanka —** Northern Sri Lanka should be transformed into an economic center with direct links to international trade and investment rather than remain dependent on Colombo, Mano Ganesan, the leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance, said, accusing Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake of standing in the way of two Indian-backed infrastructure projects that could help make that possible. Mr. Ganesan, a member of Parliament, said the development of Jaffna International Airport at Palaly and Kankesanthurai Port represented two of the most important strategic opportunities for the economy of the north. With India prepared to provide financial assistance, he said, the government should move ahead with the projects rather than delay their expansion. He accused Mr. Rathnayake, who is also the governing National People’s Power’s chief coordinator for the Northern Province, of maintaining a political outlook that would keep the north economically reliant on Colombo. Although Mr. Rathnayake portrays himself as an opponent of racism, Mr. Ganesan said, his approach reflected a deeply rooted belief that the north should remain dependent on the capital. He called the position “blatant political double standards.” Mr. Ganesan’s criticism followed remarks by Mr. Rathnayake at a recent news conference in Jaffna, where the minister said Sri Lanka would decide what development should take place, and when, regardless of who provided the financing. “As a government, we are concerned about development,” Mr. Rathnayake said. “But it is the government that will decide what development should be undertaken and where.” Mr. Rathnayake cited Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in southern Sri Lanka as a warning against infrastructure projects that impose substantial costs on the state without generating sufficient economic returns. Mr. Ganesan rejected the comparison as misguided, arguing that Palaly and Kankesanthurai were fundamentally different from Mattala Airport and Hambantota Port, two ambitious southern infrastructure projects whose economic performance has long been criticized. Both northern facilities, he noted, existed decades before Mattala and the modern Hambantota port were built. Mattala was constructed from scratch at a cost of about $248 million during the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose home district is Hambantota. The airport was built around passenger demand that failed to materialize. Sri Lanka’s auditor general found that, despite projections of one million passengers a year, Mattala handled only 321,577 passengers over six years and had accumulated net losses of 39.4 billion rupees, or about $131 million, by the end of 2024. Palaly is a different proposition. The airfield dates to the Second World War and already serves an established regional market. Commercial flights between Jaffna and Chennai began in 2019, although service was interrupted during the coronavirus pandemic. Kankesanthurai also predates the modern Hambantota project. The northern port has operated commercially since 1950 and lies roughly 56 nautical miles from India. A passenger ferry connects the region with Nagapattinam in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Supporters of the projects argue that geography gives both facilities an economic rationale distinct from their southern counterparts. Much of the merchandise reaching northern Sri Lanka from India now enters through Colombo before traveling hundreds of kilometers north by road. A fully functioning commercial port at Kankesanthurai could allow suitable cargo from southern India to enter the north directly, potentially reducing freight costs, fuel consumption, handling and travel times for businesses and consumers. An expanded Jaffna airport could provide a similar advantage for passenger traffic. More direct international connections would allow tourists, business travelers and members of the large Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora to reach the north without first flying into Colombo and then making a journey of several hours overland. Mr. Ganesan said those geographic advantages should be used to make northern Sri Lanka a regional economic gateway rather than leave it overwhelmingly dependent on infrastructure centered around Colombo. The financing arrangements for the two projects differ. At his Jaffna news conference, Mr. Rathnayake said India had provided some financing for the airport but that the amount was insufficient to complete the proposed development, leaving Sri Lanka to find or borrow the balance. For Kankesanthurai, India initially agreed to finance the final stages of the port’s rehabilitation through a $45.27 million line of credit under an agreement signed in 2018\. After revised estimates increased the projected cost and the project stalled, India agreed in 2024 to convert its assistance into a grant of about $65 million. The proposed work includes rehabilitation of the breakwater and existing pier, construction of a new pier for commercial cargo and other port infrastructure. Indian officials have described the assistance as an effort to develop Kankesanthurai into a fully functioning commercial port. Indian sources familiar with the project told *Jaffna Monitor* that New Delhi remained willing to consider reasonable cost increases resulting from delays and revised estimates. Mr. Ganesan said the availability of Indian assistance made further delays difficult to justify. For northern businesses, the case for the projects is also rooted in proximity. Jaffna is far closer to southern India than to Colombo, yet much of the north’s international movement of goods and people continues to depend on infrastructure in and around the Sri Lankan capital. Mr. Ganesan said stronger air and maritime connections could also make the north more accessible to Tamils living abroad and create opportunities for tourism, investment and commerce that do not first have to pass through Colombo. “The development of the north is the development of Sri Lanka as a whole,” he said.