President Wickremasinghe and Mannar Bishop discuss concerns on renewable energy projects

President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Mannar Bishop Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando discussed concerns over proposed renewable energy projects in Mannar. The discussion took place at the Mannar Bishops House, on Sunday. Some objections were raised at a low level over the meeting as the President was not honest enough in giving justice to the Easter attack. “Bishop should not welcome President Wickremasinghe and bless him” people in the south stated.

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the Bishop of Mannar commended President Ranil Wickremesinghe for his economic reform efforts aimed at rescuing the country from its financial crisis.

According to the President’s Media Division, the Bishop of Mannar commended President Ranil Wickremesinghe for his economic reform efforts aimed at rescuing the country from its financial crisis.

During their meeting, they discussed future development plans for the Mannar district and the key topics included the development of Point Pedro and Mullaitivu as renewable energy hubs.

Emphasis was placed on ensuring that these development activities are carried out in an environmentally friendly manner.

The PMD said that, during their discussion, it was noted that negotiations are underway regarding the sale of surplus renewable energy to India. A feasibility study is currently being conducted on establishing a power line connection between Sri Lanka and India, with further discussions expected during the upcoming visit of the Indian Foreign Minister to Sri Lanka.

plans to develop Mannar as a tourist hub were discussed, including the potential development of Mannar Fort to attract cruise tourists.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe further remarked that these initiatives would lead to extensive development across all sectors in the Mannar district in the future. The Bishop of Mannar also urged the President to address the issues faced by the fishermen of Mannar.

Meanwhile, in a separate meeting, addressing the Mannar District Development Committee meeting held on Sunday at the Mannar District Secretariat, he emphasized that pilgrims to Madhu will be provided with all necessary facilities to engage in their pilgrimage activities without any hindrance.

During the meeting, the President directed the Sri Lanka Army to clean and develop both sides of the existing Madhu Road for the convenience of the pilgrims visiting Madhu Church. He also coordinated with a representative of the Bishop of Mannar, the Department of Forest Conservation, the Road Development Authority, and the Sri Lanka Police to ensure these tasks are completed before the upcoming annual festival of the church of Our Lady of Madhu.

But, some criticisms arose against the Mannar Bishop since he welcomed the President very well and gave the religious blessing for such a leader who is not doing justice to Easter victims.

“Our church leaders every day do the same, they keep one leg with political leaders and keep the other leg with us to console us, we get cheated,” told Mojo News Catholics.

One Catholic youth social activist and YouTuber Chirantha Amarasinghe made a direct telephone call to the Bishop of Mannar and expressed his displeasure and rejected strongly the welcome of President Wickremasinghe. The telephone conversation went viral over the social media yesterday.

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