JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — The chairman of the Valikamam North Pradeshiya Sabha has written to the military demanding a halt to the construction of a hospital on privately owned land in the Vasavilan area, warning that the council will take legal action if work continues beyond June 16.
In a letter dated June 9 to the Jaffna District military commander, Maj. Gen. K.J.N.M.P.K. Nawarathna, the council chairman, S. Sugirthan, said the project was proceeding without the required legal authorization and demanded that construction stop immediately and the land be released. The council said a copy of the notice was also sent to the attorney general.
The letter was issued as a final statutory notice under Sri Lanka's Urban Development Authority Law, according to the council. Mr. Sugirthan said that if the military did not comply by the deadline, the local authority would exercise its legal powers and file a case in the Mallakam Magistrate's Court under the law, which governs construction and land use.
The land in question is among the privately owned plots in Valikamam North that were taken from Tamil residents after the 1990 displacement and have not been returned. The military has occupied the area for 36 years.
The military had not publicly responded to the notice.
