A special meeting of the Sri Lankan cabinet chaired by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa held at Kilinochchi town in the northern province yesterday approved a proposal for an emergency loan of 150 million US dollars from Asian Development Bank (ADB) for re-construction of the damaged power and water infrastructure in the northern and eastern provinces.Briefing the media here on Thursday on the decisions taken by the meeting held at the de-factor political capital of the LTTE till early 2009, the Cabinet spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella said that the rationale behind the decision of the President to hold cabinet meeting at Kilinochchi the Minister said that it was a signal of unitary status of the island nation and the comprehensive military defeat of the Tigers.’There is criticism from quarters that it is an extravagant exercise. However, it is far from the truth. The idea of these meetings to be held in different parts of the island nation is to closely identify important issues pertaining to the people and find solutions. Kilinochichi meeting is particularly significant since the then leader of the LTTE Thamilchelvan had identified the town as the capital of the dream Eelam state’.The Minister said that the cabinet approved the proposal to reconstruct the nearly 50 kilometer long A-34 high way from Mankulam to Mullaithivu Road under Northern Road Connectivity Project with ADB assistance.A National Mine Action Centre to coordinate removal of an estimated 1.5 million mines buried in 3,000 square kilometers of the northern province would be created. The Minister said that the presence of mines is a major stumbling block in the full re-settlement of the war displaced and the Government so far has been able to remove only 20 per cent of the mines.Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry in a statement said that Sri Lanka has been removed from all marine war and marine strikes risk of the Joint Cargo Committee Joint Cargo Watch List and `the Ground Risk of 2.6′ (High Level) previously applicable for the entire ground in Sri Lanka. It is now confined only to the Vavuniya ‘ Jaffna Section of the A-9 Highway.