Army deployed against corruption
*Will
renovate over 3,000 tanks in Rajarata
*End
to corrupt ‘contract’ system
Tennakoon Kulasekera
The Army will be deployed to rehabilitate and develop 3,200 tanks and
reservoirs in the North Central Province.
This follows a request by North Central Province Chief Minister S. M.
Ranjith. Samarakoon made to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence
Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Chief Minister Samarakoon said
henceforth, the contract system would be done away with in
rehabilitating the tanks and reservoirs in the region.
The North Central Provincial Council would release the funds,
machinery and equipment needed while the labour will be contributed by
Army personnel, to rebuild the reservoirs to expected standards.
Contractors who undertook the work earlier, had done a lackadaisical
job to skim bigger profits off the Provincial Council, according to
allegations made by a large number of farmers and farmer organisations,
the Chief Minister said.
Under the programme, smaller tanks and reservoirs including
dilapidated ones would be developed to increase their water capacity, to
help irrigate cultivable land left fallow for a considerable period of
time -- with the help of the Army. This would also facilitate the
resettlement of people around tanks and reservoirs and building of parks
for their recreational activities, the Chief Minister said.
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