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Situated midway on the Galle-Colombo highway, Kalutara is blessed with the sacred Bo tree, at which all who pass or enter the city stop to pay homage to this ancient religious symbol of Buddhism. The territory of the district spreads up to the isolated mountainous villages of Bulathsinhala, Matugama and Agalawatte. Deep within the district and close to Bulathsinhala, lies "Pahiyan gala" where Fa Hsein, the Chinese explorer priest of the 5th century BC rested on his exploration of Sri Lanka. It is a venue which still attracts thousands of visitors annually. Rubber, tea, paddy and fruits are the main agricultural products of the district. The Rubber Research Institute is situated here at Agalawatta. Though the City of Kalutara is privileged by its very location close to the capital and absorbs some of the development reflected by her rapidly developing neighbour, the isolated rural villages in the forgotten corners of the district are not so fortunate. These rural areas which remain neglected because of their geographical location recognise that a massive rural development project is essential for the revival of their economy. Unemployment among the rural youth is high. Poor health and educational facilities in rural areas, specially in the plantations, need the urgent attention of policy makers. The rural infrastructure should be developed in order to attract more private sector investment. The proposed Perth Paradise project close to Horana has raised the hope of revival. However it will take some time to tell whether the expectation becomes a reality. Contesting Political Parties: Registered Voters Panadura - 96,487 Bandaragama - 98,871 Horana - 91,968 Bulathsinhala - 67,795 Matugama - 88,182 Kalutara - 95,698 Beruwala - 92,658 Agalawatta - 86,105 Total registered - 717,764 Largest industrial estate in Horana - Ratnasiri Wickremanayake [PA] Ratnasiri Wickremanayake pledges that he will establish Sri Lanka's largest industrial township which will span 123 acres in Horana. He believes that it will tackle the employment problem in the Kalutara District. He underlines two main issues - unemployment and the need for flood protection which are the main concerns of the people of Kalutara. Unemployment will be addressed though the industrial estate, he claims. According to him four entrepreneurs have already set up factories there while other investors will continue to come. All infrastructure facilities have been improved to attract more investors. There will be a housing scheme of 10,000 houses, he adds. Saying that a number of rubber based factories are being set up in the district, he pledges to establish more value added rubber based industries which will yield considerably higher prices for rubber, produced by small holders in the district. Emphasising the need to protect the major parts of the district from frequent floods he pledges to re-draw the Kalu Ganga Flood Protection project with Chinese assistance to prevent the flow of sea water into the mainland. Enhanced infrastructure facilities - Mahinda Samarasinghe [UNP] An economist turned politician Mahinda Samarasinghe underlines the necessity of improving infrastructure facilities in the district since it has become major barrier to investment in industry in the Kalutara district. Electricity supplies, drinking water, telecommunications services should be developed to attract more local and foreign investors, he points out. He pledges to provide practical solutions to problems faced by the tea and rubber small holders in the district as they receive low price for their products in the market. The problems of the fisher community in the district will be tackled through provision of more facilities and equipment to improve their living standards. He plans to reduce unemployment by attracting more investors and improving facilities for the tourism industry. He pledges to implement the Kalu Ganga flood protection program to prevent floods which regularly affect the lifestyle of the people in the district. Boost for small holders - Nandana Gunathilaka [JVP] Former JVP Presidential Candidate Nandana Gunathilaka says that under a JVP Government special emphasis will be payed to improve the rubber and rubber-based industries, cultivation and poultry farming, and address the problems of the fishing and tourism sectors. He says that still people in remote villages in the district do not have access to drinking water. Even the urban population in the district too face this problem. He pledges to provide solutions to the rubber small holders in the district as they receive low prices for their products. He noted that infusion of new technology is essential to the industry as early as possible which can improve the productivity and create more rubber base industries to tap the world market. This can invariably attract labours for higher salaries. Dearth of skilled tappers and other workers are one of the major problems the industry is experiencing today. This problem can be tackled by infusing new technology. More employment opportunities would also be created in the rubber industry. Fishing community in the district is unemployed half of the year. Therefore, an insurance scheme or an alternative will be introduced to solve this problem. General Election Results
- 10.10.2000
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Produced by Lake House |
