Boom time with massive project

Sigiriya group correspondent

"Moragahakanda will bring immense development to Matale district where there is an inadequacy of water for agriculture and for domestic purposes including pure water for drinking. Once this is fulfilled the cultivational acreage along with booming harvests are the fruits of the massive project. Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura and Trincomalee are the other beneficiaries of the project."

So said the Minister of Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services Maithreepala Sirisena at the Administrative Centre of Moragahakanda on his progress evaluation tour.

He said that the project had advanced beyond expectation within two years.

The Minister said the future work of the Moragahakanda predicts success as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia promised to fund the project. The entire Muslim world approved the foreign policy of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Cooperation of the Middle East countries symbolizes their close ties.

He said some people may say opportunity widen their eye brows at the visit of the peace envoy Akashi. But Japan is another country that gives us a big contribution to Moragahakanda.

The Minister said all the funds allocated for the work have been used and the work is handled by our own engineers.

He promised and assured the fortune to the stakeholders, and displaced families will be given their full quota of facilities. In spite of all these promises, these people were misled to rise by demonstrations.

The Minister said that he was not surprised over the turn of events. He recounted the past results of such misdeeds where the Norochchole Project got delayed by four years and Ihala Kothmale by 12 years owing to such public protests. He assured responsibility for the people who would be displaced.

He said the recent protest campaign was organised by a person whose nomination got rejected. Another was a member of an organization. There are some organizations covering their true faces and come forward to have their expectations worked out. The Minister said the people who are behind these "Protectors of Rights" Organizations are trying to mislead the people at an eve of an election.