The government has set up a fully-fledged divisional secretariat in Kalmunai north having acceded to a request by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) ahead of the vote on the no-confidence motion on Thursday, a parliamentarian said yesterday.

Earlier, it functioned as a sub office of the Kalmunai Divisional Secretariat but the TNA wanted it elevated to a fully-fledged divisional secretariat to function independently of the Kalmunai main divisional secretariat located in the Muslim majority area.

The residents had demonstrated asking the government to delegate financial power to the sub office making it a fully-fledged divisional secretariat. Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Ratana Thera and Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) general secretary Galagodaatthe Gnanasara Thera also supported the request made by the Tamil people.

TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran told Daily Mirror that all 14 TNA MPs met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe before the vote on Thursday. He said the Prime Minister granted financial authority to the sub office.

“A cadre position was created to appoint an accountant accordingly,” he said.