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| Wednesday, 16 June 2004 |
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| Govt will not sell country's water resources - Irrigation Minister by Uditha Kumarasinghe Agriculture, Lands and Irrigation Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday gave an assurance that the Freedom Alliance Government will in no way sell the country's water resources to foreign companies. The Minister who made an inspection tour of the Water Resources Development Board yesterday said at present the World Bank representatives were pressurising the Government to vest country's water resource in the hands of various foreign companies. In order to fulfil their requirement the World Bank has proposed various Bills to the Government. Minister Dissanayake said during the former UNF regime, several attempts were made to privatise the country's water resources on the recommendations of the World Bank. The former Government also attempted to bring a Bill to Parliament to sell the country's water resources. "At present, the World Bank has also requested the present Government to bring this same Bill. But we are not prepared to follow their advice," he said. "As long as I hold this ministerial portfolio I will not allow our water resources to be sold. The policy of the Freedom Alliance Government is not to privatise or sell the water resources. The Government will take every possible measure to safeguard the country's water resources without getting trapped into international pressures," the Minister said. The Minister said:" This is a challenge which should be overcome through joint efforts to safeguard country's national resources." Sri Lanka is a country with a proud history of its irrigation feats. Therefore, the Freedom Alliance Government will give its utmost priority to safeguard water and other natural resources, the Minister added. |
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