Saturday, 24 August 2013 00:00
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The Government has taken steps to build a road network connecting 36,000 villages belonging to 14,009 Grama Seva divisions in the country, since 80% of the population live in the rural and plantation areas, according to Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.
Her said this when he addressed four meetings marking the launch of bridge building projects at the Wellawaya and Medagama GS divisions in the Wellawaya and Bibile electorates, Monaragala district early this week.
The work is being done to reach the target of constructing and repairing 210 rural bridges countrywide to link villages and towns as envisaged in the Mahinda Chinthana Vision. It also aims at providing rural people with drinking water, better health and educational facilities, electricity and telecommunications, all of which at present benefit mostly those residing in urban areas.
Minister Rajapaksa participated in inaugurating at the auspicious time of work on the Wellawaya electorate’s new bridges, across the Kuda Oya, Balaharawa, at Hingurukaduwa Randeniya, at Meegahawathura, Pitadeniya in Medagama and at Pitiyawatte, Medagama. Work on the Hambegamuwa-Kaltota road also commenced at Bodagama on the same day.
Speaking further, Minister Rajapaksa said a road network is vital for a developing country. After the war – which pushed the country 30 years back – ended in May 2009, the President launched programs to fulfil the people’s wishes in developing the country. Accordingly, all village roads were rebuilt under Maga Naguma, all provincial roads were carpeted, main roads were further improved and expressways were built.
He added that all the main hospitals and national hospitals have been provided with modern facilities and, childcare and maternity services have been improved. In addition, the development work in Sabaragamuwa and other provinces, the Uthuru Wasanthaya and Negenahira Wasanthaya programs, have brought prosperity to the north and east.
The Government has also boosted the plantation economy, including the rubber and coconut industries and agriculture, the minister pointed out.
Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Minister Jagath Pushpakumara said that before 1994, the Kuda Oya-Balagarawa road in Wellawaya was in a very dilapidated state. The planned new bridge will reduce the 27 kilometre distance between Balagarawa and Wellawaya to 11 kilometres. Compared to the time when it was difficult to obtain even Rs. 25,000 to develop a village, the Economic Development Ministry has been able to allocate up Rs. 1 million for each GS division under the ‘One Task for One Village’ program, Minister Pushpakumara said.
Wildlife Conservation Minister Vijith Vijithamuni Soya, Parliament Affairs Minister Sumedha Jayasena , Uva Province Chief Minister Shashendra Rajapaksa, MP Vijitha Perugoda, Uva Province Highways Minister Kumarasiri Ratnayaka, Provincial Councillors D. Ratnayaka, Chandana Welipita and Wimala Galanarachchi, Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Ministry Secretary Nihal Somaweera, a number of senior Government officials and people of the Wellawaya and Medagama Secretarial Divisions were among those present at the meetings.
