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Rapport between Government, opposition a noteworthy feature -Governor Saliya Mathew

Ratnapura group correspondent

The Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council's most noteworthy feature is co-operation and rapport between the government and the opposition, said Sabaragamuwa Governor Saliya Mathew.

Speaking at the opening of the fifth session of the third Provincial Council of the Sabaragamuwa Province, in 2003, he also apologised for failing to implement in full, some projects and programmes especially under Education, Highways, Social Services, Local Government and Agriculture due to financial problems.

Mathew said the work completed within the year, has been appreciable.

If the expected allocations from the Central Government were received in full, more development projects could have been successfully completed, he said.

A reason for the reduction of annual central government allocation for Provincial development had been the setting up of Development Ministries by the state and the channelling of funds to the state-sponsored schemes, Mathew said. The droughts, floods and landslides had also affected development programmes, the Governor said.

The Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council will increase the revenue sources to improve the quality of life. Although there was an increase in the revenue level it was not sufficient to keep pace with the development schemes, the Governor said.

Mathew said the government would give priority to programmes aimed at upholding the identity and the constitutional rights of the Council.

Ways of obtaining the participation of Provincial Council members in council affairs would also be identified and implemented. The benefits bestowed on the people resulting from council-projects' would be strictly subjected to periodical assessment.

Individual attention would be paid to the natural disaster mitigation and strengthening of the people in disaster-prone areas for self-protection through systematic organisations, the Governor said. Mathew stressed the importance of infra-structural developments for the overall economic, social and industrial development of the Province.

Roads, transport, rural electrification, water-supply, human resources such as education, health, social security, social services, rural, human development, agriculture, land industries, small irrigation schemes and tourism, would be given due attention to seek solutions to the increasing incidence of unemployment within the province, Mathew said.

Steps would also be taken for the 'material and moral' developments through constructive propaganda directed by the Information Department of the Provincial Council, the Governor said.

Despite the 'shortfall' of revenue and central government allocations, the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council had made headway during the past year in Education, Local Government, Irrigation and Human-Development, Mathew said.

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