Special plan to eradicate drug addiction this year

Friday, 1 February 2013 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa says the Police Department has a great responsibility ahead since a special plan has been drawn up to eradicate drug addiction in Sri Lanka before the end of the year. According to him, the President is currently focusing on giving the department a new vision.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa cuts the ribbon to declare open the new police station complex at Kochchikade, as the Chief Guest. The fully-equipped police station complex has been established on the lines of the Japanese five-method system

Minister Rajapaksa said this when he attended the opening of the new police station complex, Kochchikade, as the Chief Guest. The fully-equipped police station complex has been established on the lines of the Japanese five-method system.

He further said that it is the duty of the police to work closely with the public and also ensure the security of foreign tourists visiting the island.

Minister Rajapaksa stressed that the Government’s sole objective was to make this country free of poverty by 2016 through raising income levels of the people and minimising expenditure.

He was glad that the police station complex for which the late Jeyeraj Fernandopulle laid the foundation stone during the LTTE terror period had now been completed and would serve the people.

Minister Rajapaksa added that steps would also be taken to allocate new buildings to the old Kochchikade Police Station according to the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ vision. The discussions the Minister had with the President revealed that construction work on buildings for which foundation stones were laid in various parts of the country were now nearing completion.

The Minister attributed the massive development work currently in progress to the peace prevailing in the island following the end of a 30-year brutal war. “Now development is fruitfully and efficiently reaching the people. It is spreading from the family to the village and from village to the town and finally the entire country.”

He said the most poverty-stricken people were those living in shanties, the working classes in the plantation areas and fishermen’s families. “Many of them have become drug addicts. If this problem can be solved the money spent on drugs could be spent on improving the quality of their lives. Measures have already been taken to get the full cooperation of the police in this connection. In addition, people’s representatives too should support the public in this effort independently and efficiently,” he concluded.

State Resources and Enterprise Development Deputy Minister Sarath Gunaratne, MP Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Western Provincial Council Minister Nimal Lansa, and Inspector General of Police N.K. Ilangakoon were among the large crowd that attended the event.

Pic by Chaminda Hittatiya