Local Govt Polls free and fair - Mahindananda

P. B. Kirindeniya, Nawalapitiya Group corr.

Nawalapitiya: Power and Energy Deputy Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said the local polls in the Nawalapitiya electorate were free of violence, malpractices and corruptions.

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the Nawalapitiya UC's inaugural session.

Chairman Nishantha Kumara Ranasinghe took office and the rest of the councillors took oath on this day.

The deputy minister stated that some electronic media made false allegations on the day of the local election that a number of malpractices and corruptions took place at several polling booths.

Yet for all there were no complaints lodged at the police station. Anyway there were killings, setting fire and many more violent activities in other areas but not in Nawalapitiya.

As such it was really a very clean victory. Muslim community in the area did their utmost for the victory of the UPFA, so the council was ready to help them long before they appealed for help.

In the meantime a large number of UNPers pledged support to the UPFA. They were quite aware of what development work had to be done. As a result of the gigantic development work done during the past it was possible for the govt. to win all the three local bodies in the electorate.

"During the election time we appealed to the voters to help UPFA to come into the power and make a young person the chairman. So they fulfilled both our requests. Most remarkable feature of the local poll was the support rendered by the Muslim and Tamil community in the area.

During the past six years when the urban council was ruled by the UNP the ratepayers have not been benefited at all. Water supply, street lighting, construction and management of roads, maintaining the pavement have not been taken into consideration.

They had been totally neglected. As such the ratepayers wished to see a change. So they gave power to the UPFA," he added.

Nishantha Kumara Ranasinghe, the new chairman said that by now future development programmes were ready.

Among them was constructing a new conference hall with Chinese aids. M. F. Dayarathna delivered the welcome speech while Wasantha Kumara, secretary made the vote of thank.