New Delhi and Colombo today exchanged notes and formalized the process of establishing Consulates General of India in Jaffna and Hambantota. The Exchange of Notes took place at the Sri Lankan Ministry of External Affairs between Foreign Secretary C.R. Jayasinghe and the Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha.To reinforce consular cooperation and friendly links between the two countries, the two neighbours had reached this understanding during the visit of the Sri Lankan President to India in June this year.The Prime Minister of India had also welcomed Sri Lanka’s interest in establishing a further Post in India, in addition to those in Chennai and in Mumbai functioning under the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi.At present, India has a high commission in Colombo and an assistant high commission in Kandy.The planned Consulate General in Jaffna will help promote greater people-to-people contacts in the war ravaged Northern Province. It would cover the five districts of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, namely, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, Vavuniya and Mannar. The consular district of the proposed Consulate General of India in Hambantota would cover the districts of Galle, Matara, Hambantota and Moneragala. It has also been agreed that any expansion of the consular districts of the proposed Consulates General could be considered subsequently through mutual consent.The proposed consulate in Hambantota, 240km south of Colombo, will help India reach out to people in the island’s Sinhala-majority areas in the south by taking its diplomatic services closer to the people.Apart from being President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s home district, Hambantota is also where China is developing a deep water harbour, expected to be completed by 2020. The first phase of this harbour was made operational last week.It is expected that the two Consulates General of India in Jaffna and Hambantota will be set up in the near future.