Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha visited areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah on December 12–13 to review rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts and to offer condolences to families of the victims.
During his visit to Central Province, the High Commissioner travelled to Nelummala village in Udattawa, one of the worst-affected communities where 31 people lost their lives. He received detailed briefings from local officials on ongoing search-and-rescue operations, relief distribution and plans for longer-term recovery, and conveyed India’s support under Operation Sagar Bandhu.
HC Jha also paid respects to the Most Venerable Mahanayake Theros of the Malwatte and Asgiriya chapters, informing them of India’s assistance and seeking their blessings for continued rehabilitation and recovery work across the island. The Indian High Commission noted that Operation Sagar Bandhu is shifting from immediate relief toward rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Private and public contributions are also supporting recovery: Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) has committed LKR 100 million toward rebuilding efforts as Sri Lanka works to restore normalcy following the cyclone.
Indian and Sri Lankan security and engineering teams are closely coordinating infrastructure restoration. Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, inspected the Chilaw Bridge site and commended Indian Army engineers working alongside the Sri Lankan Road Development Authority in challenging conditions. An Indian Army Engineer Task Force is also collaborating with Sri Lankan engineers to accelerate repairs at the damaged Kilinochchi bridge site in Jaffna.
A 48-person Indian Engineer Task Force was airlifted on a priority basis to provide critical engineering support aimed at restoring lines of communication by repairing and reconstructing roads and bridges. The team includes bridging specialists, surveyors, watermanship experts and operators of heavy earth-moving equipment, as well as personnel skilled in drones and unmanned systems. Four Bailey bridge sets were flown in by IAF C-17 aircraft to help restore connectivity. The task force is equipped with pneumatic boats, outboard motors, HESCO bags and new-generation gear such as heavy-payload drones and remotely controlled boats.
Under Operation Sagar Bandhu, the Indian Army has also provided medical assistance in Sri Lanka following the cyclone, treating more than 5,000 patients. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner Mahisini Colonne and handed over part of a consignment of essential life-saving medicines, reaffirming India’s commitment to aid recovery and reconstruction.
Launched under India’s Neighbourhood First policy, Operation Sagar Bandhu continues to provide humanitarian assistance and technical support as Sri Lanka moves from immediate relief toward longer-term rehabilitation.
