PM outlines massive plan to simultaneously develop both Ruhuna and Uva provinces

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says the biggest urban development project following the development of Colombo will be carried out in Monaragala and Hambanthota districts.

Addressing an election rally in the Monaragala town Thursday evening in support of the United National Party (UNP) candidates in the Monaragala district, the Premier said his Government did not limit the industrialisation projects only to the Hambanthota district.

Such projects can be launched in Monaragala and Wellawaya following the identification of suitable lands.

A new highway will be constructed to link Mattala and Wellawaya areas. A new oil refinery will be constructed in Hambantota and it will bring enormous benefits to the village communities living in the Hambantota district, the Premier said.

The Prime Minister noted that if the Government has no income no proper development can be carried out.

“In the past we launched an invisible development. Now we have money to engage in visible development that will be apparent to all. Accordingly, the economic improvement in Hambantota will be extended up to Monaragala and Badulla and our objective is to develop Ruhuna and Uva at the same time,” he said.

The Premier, recalling that the former UNP Government completed in eight years the work on the Mahaweli campaign which had been scheduled to be completed in a period of 30 years, said that building the economy in Ruhuna and Uva will not be such a challenge for the UNP which overcame the challenge of the Mahaweli project then.

He further said that a tourist zone will be set up centered in Ella that will be extended up to Badulla and Bandarawela areas. “Through this we can achieve immense improvement in these places,” the Premier added.Wickremesinghe pointed out that national development is by the Government and the village development is done by the local government. In order to develop the villages as well as the country, both governments should work together, he said requesting the people to give the power to the UNP at the local level as they had done at the national level.