Rapid economic resurgence in Moneragala

Facelift in line with Deyata Kirula exhibition:

Ariya RUBASINGHE

The Moneragala district which was once the rice basin of the country under the Uva-Wellassa golden era was totally destroyed by the British rulers. However the district is now witnessing a rapid economic and development resurgence throughout the district.

First part of this article was published yesterday

The Government is spending Rs 6,000 million for road development and this include expansion of highways, carpeting of by-roads and concreting village roads. One such road being built is 40.5 km Udawala-Thanamalwila road being reconstructed at a cost of Rs. 786 million which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

District sans development

The Government Agent of Moneragala, Mihindu Kulasuriya said that Moneragala remained the least developed district for several decades and although the national poverty level remained at 13 percent in the case of the Moneragala district it stands at 33 percent with per capita income at US $ 1,200 despite the national per capita income being over 2,000 US $.

Construction of Udawalawa - Thanamalwila road in progress

There are 58,360 Samurdhi recipients in the District. Over 12,000 of these families are being enrolled in self-employment schemes producing garments, running grocery stores, engaging in carpentry work and in the cultivation of banana, pepper, maize and other food crops.

He said that weekly development programs for each DDS area are being carried out in the district under the Deyata Kirula integrated development program with the participation of the Government officials, social, religious and other organizations of the area.

Uva Province Chief Minister Sashindra Kumara Rajapaksa, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sumedha G Jayasena, Deputy Economic Affairs Minister and Government officials from the finance Ministry participated in several functions held in the Moneragala district on Saturday, October 16.

Chief Minister Sashindra Rajapaksa said that despite many districts requesting to hold the Deyata Kirula Exhibition and the Independence Day Celebrations in their district, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was very keen to hold the events next year in the Moneragala District as a gratification to the people of the district who gave the highest percentage of votes for the Government in the last Provincial Council Election and then the highest percentage in the Presidential election and similarly the highest percentage in the last General Election.

British rule

He said that people of the Moneragala district have every right to hold the Independence day celebrations in their district being the people who fired the first salvo against British rule.

He said that the people of the Moneragala district hitherto listened over the radio or watched television about the Independence Day celebrations being held in other districts and this time people of other districts would watch the real heroes of the country celebrating the Independence Day in their own district Moneragala.

Rajapaksa said that the district lacks facilities in every sector and only 44 percent of the people of the district have electricity. Through the Deyata Kirula Integrated program, arrangements are underway to provide electricity to every household in the district. He explained that immediately after 118 teachers were appointed to schools in the district.

He said to overcome this problem, teachers, resident villages with all facilities will be established in all Divisional Development Secretariat Divisions in the District and the first such village will be established in Siyambalanduwa soon.

Uva Udanaya

The Chief Minister said that funds have been allocated to develop agriculture, irrigation, education, housing and health facilities in the district under the Uva Udanaya program. He said that Rs 400 million will be spent under this program for development of infrastructure and other development work. He said that 98 irrigation schemes and 400 electricity supply schemes will be launched under the program.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sumedha Jayasena and Deputy Economic Development Minister and Deyata Kirula Organizing Committee Chairman Ranjith Siyambalapitiya also addressed these functions.

A press conference was also held on October 16 at the Nissanka National School with the participation of the Chief Minister, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and the Deputy Minister of Economic Development. It was disclosed at this press conference that next year’s Independence day celebrations will be held at the Kataragama Rajaweediya on February 4 with the participation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Renovating architectural site

The President will declare open the Deyata Kirula exhibition in the evening of February 4. The media personnel highlighted the problems being faced by the farmers in marketing their produce.

Chief Minister Rajapaksa said that negotiations have made with several Government and private institutions for transporting fruits and vegetables produced in the district and this problem could be solved very soon. Another matter raised was the encroachment of State lands by the farmers. The Chief Minister explained that there are about 6,000 acres of such land and farming had been carried out in these lands for several decades but due to terrorism that affected the area these farmers returned to town areas. These farmers have now returned to these State lands and have restarted their cultivations by giving a boost to agricultural development. He said that although they have encroached they cannot be expelled from these lands and it has been decided to distribute these lands to these farmers.

Dayata Kirula Site

Landscaping work of the Deyata Kirula site in Buttala for holding the Deyata Kirula exhibition from 4 to 11, 2011 is being carried out expeditiously. This work is being carried out by the National Planning Department of the Construction and Engineering Services Ministry.

The exhibition which will be declared open by President on February 4 will be held at the Buttala faculty site of the Uva University. The site covers a land extent of 111 acres. The facilities to be constructed include three ponds, 400 marketing stalls and six car parks, renovation of 50 buildings and many hostel buildings, the main stadium and the conference hall. Parks will be constructed outside the exhibition area covering a land extend of 25 acres.

The Government has allocated Rs 145 million for this construction and renovation work. The Deputy Director General of the Ministry who is also in charge of overseeing this work said that all renovation work would be completed by December end and the site handed over to the Defence Ministry.

The writer is Media Centre for National Development Director General, Mass Media and Information Ministry