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Matale, a district of mysttic beauty, lies at the slopes of the Knuckles mountain range. Internationally acclaimed for its biodiversity and orchids endemic to Sri Lanka, the beautiful hills, assailed by deforestation for agriculture development are fighting a battle for survival. A few miles away is the ancient Buddhist temple of Aluwiharaya, where the 'Tripitaka' was transcribed during the Polonnaruwa era. Far away is the city of Dambulla, one of the busiest commercial centres of the country. It is at Dambulla where farmers and wholesale traders of the Central and North Central province meet their customers who come from all over the country to buy their produce in bulk to be retailed in Colombo and the rest of the country. Sigiriya, the fortress of King Kashyapa rises close to the North Central Province border. Built by Kashyapa - who moved his residence to this giant 400-foot rock fortress to avoid a possible invasion by his enraged brother Mugalan. Sigiriya now attracts hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists. The problems of the city are not different from those of any other less fortunate Sri Lankan district, whose majority is neglected because of their geographical location. Poor infrastructure, education and health care facilities in the isolated mountainous villages of the district need the urgent attention of policy makers. Unemployment among youth is high and the stagnant local economy is incapable of creating new employment opportunities. A well designed development project with special attention to the rural area is the need for the revival of the district. Contesting political parties Registered Voters Dambulla
- 102,302 Dream of a food Exporting Zone-Janaka Bandara Tennakoon [PA] Police officer turned politician Janaka Bandara Tennakoon is satisfied with the development work during the PA regime and pledges for more after the polls. He claims the PA had improved the desolated district to a great extent during the past seven years. The Dedicated Economic Centre constructed at a cost of Rs. 110 million at Dambulla is one of the biggest achievements of the Matale District he claims. The centre where farmer meets trader has contributed to the improvement of entreprenuership tremendously, he says. He pledges to expand this further with a new Rs. 250 million export zone which will have processing and packing for dehydrated fruits and vegetables. This will ensure that the produce of the district will reach the international markets. The Government has really improved the conditions of a community 90 per cent of which are farmers. In addition there is the visible development of infrastructure such as roads and bridges, hospitals and schools. Underlining unemployment as a biggest problem he says the Government's decision to create and enhance opportunities for the agricultural sector has paid rich dividends. The ultimate goal of the Government is to boost agro and graphite based industries for which the raw materials are available in the District. "We also want to create a disciplined society within the District which is rid of violence," he says. Educated at the Dharmaraja College Kandy he joined the Police service and rose to the position of Headquarters Inspector. He is a son of former Minister T.B. Tennakoon and a brother of SLFP stalwart Yasaratne Tennakoon. More agro-based industries-Alick Aluvihare [UNP] An agriculturist and businessman turned politician Alick Aluvihare has a vision for developing this agricultural district by establishing more agro based industries. He emphasises the necessity of increasing cattle and poultry farms for proper utilisation of desolated bare lands, thus tackling the unemployment problem. Complaining that the money allocated for development projects in the district had not been utilised in a reliable manner during the PA regime, he pledges proper utilisation of funds. Underlining the problems faced by students due to lack of good schools he pledges the establishment of more national schools. He says students have to hold up their education due to a lack of educational facilities. Claiming that the neglected road network has not been given proper attention by the Road Development Authority or the Provincial Council he pledges to upgrade those roads as a matter of highest priority for the development of the district. Since a large number of people depend on handicrafts he pledges for a better market for their products. The tourism industry in the district will also be improved on the basis of up-to-date data. Aluvihare entered national and local politics 1947 after his education at Vijaya Vidyalaya, Matale. In 1961 he was elected MP for Matale during a by election consequent on the death of his uncle Bernard Aluvihare. He was Mayor of Matale. He was the Post and Telecommunications Minister in 1990 and Minister of Ports and Shipping in 1991. General Election Results - 10.10.2000
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