Sri Lanka to declare Kachchativu island as sacred area
March 19th, 2009 - 10:24 pm ICT by IANSColombo, March 19 (IANS) The Kachchativu island, lying midway between India and Sri Lanka, is to be declared as a sacred area, a Sri Lankan minister has said.
Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Dinesh Gunawardena made this announcement about the island in the Palk Strait off Rameshwaram in parliament Thursday, the government information department said.
Parliamentary sources said the minister made the announcement while answering verbal questions raised by the radical Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) with regard to the current status of the 285-acre island and its safety.
The Kachchativu island belongs to Sri Lanka according to the 1974-76 bilateral agreement between India and Sri Lanka.
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Tags: acre island, bilateral agreement, current status, government information department, India, janatha, jvp, march 19, palk strait, parliament, parliamentary sources, rameshwaram, regard, sacred area, sri lanka, sri lankan minister, urban development, verbal questions