The reconstruction of the Iranaimadu tank could be a precursor to further Sinhala colonisation under the Mahaweli scheme, former Northern Provincial Council (NPC) member P Aingaranesan has alleged.

The reconstructed tank was opened by the Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena last week.

Aingarensan said that although the tank should come under the authority of the NPC, the Sri Lankan government had taken full control of its operations and were making plans to hand over the tank to the Mahaweli Authority, the governing body of the Mahaweli scheme which is notorious for mass Sinhala colonisation schemes in Tamil regions which has re-engineered the demographic makeup of those areas.

If left unchecked, the areas served by Iranaimadu could become fully Sinhalised, similar to the current situations in Kokkilai and Nayaaru in Mullaitivu, Aingarenasan warned.

Aingaranesan also warned that since the end of the NPC’s tenure, all decisions in the Northern Province were being taken by the unelected governor which could be to the province’s detriment.

Several projects that had been rejected by the NPC as they had been considered incompatible with the social, cultural and economic needs of the North, were being taken up by the governor Reginald Cooray out of commercial interest, Aingarenesan said.

In the absence of a representative body to make decisions, the Tamil people of the North must remain vigilant against autocratic decisions that could harm the region, he said.