Member of Parliament S. Sribavanandarajah visited the Kankesanthurai Hindu cremation ground on Saturday, assuring local residents that steps would be taken to regain access to the long-restricted site.
The cremation ground and surrounding land remain under the control of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, having been part of a High Security Zone since the 1990s conflict.
Although residents were gradually resettled nearly 25 years later, the land for the cremation ground was never returned, prompting repeated appeals over the past decade.
Many elderly residents have emphasised that their final wish is to be cremated on ancestral land, alongside family members and community forebears.
Local officials, including Seetha Sivasubramaniam of the Valigamam North Pradeshiya Sabha, had previously received requests to release the cremation ground and access road, which ultimately led to the MP’s inspection.
During his visit, Sribavanandarajah pledged to engage with the relevant authorities and take prompt action to secure the release of both the cremation ground and its access route, offering hope to a community long waiting to reclaim its sacred site.
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