President's second term :

New era dawns in Siyane Korale

Dharman Wickremaratne

People of Siyane Korale are on the threshold of a new era with the commencement of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa's second term in office. In the village of Thalagama in Mirigama they are about to reap the immense benefits of thousands development projects launched in the Gampaha District. This program covers 1,194 projects Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa's has launched in the Gampaha District under the concept of "One Action Plan for One Village".

Thalagala in the Mirigama Pradeshiya Sabha area is a village of historical significance. The village comprises 183 families the majority of which depend on agriculture as means of livelihood. There are also a few Government employees among them.

Railway track

The Colombo-Vavuniya Yal Devi express, the Colombo-Badulla Podimenike Express and the Kandy-Matale slow train go past Thalagala. Every 20 minutes a train passes this village. But the villagers' misfortune was that they were compelled to use the railway track also as a foot path. As a result a large number of people lost their lives tragically during a period of over 100 years.

In the past 10 years alone there were 31 victims. The majority of them were schoolchildren the reason being that Keenadeniya Junior School, Keenadeniya Maha Vidyalaya and the Balakada Junior School are located nearby. Over 100 students attending these schools reside in Thalagala.

So November 5, 2010 was a day of festivity and celebration in the entire village. It was the day when Western Provincial Council Member Carmel Kuruppu opened the new Thalangama-Kebellawita Road.

It is he who implements development projects in Thalagala on Minister Rajapaksa's behalf and is equally efficient as his boss. The new road will not only protect lives but will also facilitate the transport of agricultural products, according to 47-year-old villager Kapila Arunashantha.

He expressed his joy while attempting to conceal his sorrow over the tragic death of his twin brother Gamini Arunashantha who was run-over by a train on this railway track.

One action

The new road will save both money and time and make it easy for the transport of agricultural machinery to cultivate 100 acres of paddy land, says Agricultural Officer Sarath Wijesiri. Already such infrastructure development projects are underway in 1,177 Grama Seva Divisions of the Gampaha District. It is a 25-day crash program.

The total cost of completing the 1,194 projects Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa has launched under the "One Action Plan for One Village," concept to mark the beginning of the President's second term in office is Rs 1,177 million. This covers rural roads, small irrigation channels, repairing and building of canal bunds and repairing tanks (agricultural reservoirs) among other tasks.

A number of other programs such as Sundara Gampaha and Ran Aruna directed by Minister Rajapaksa under 'Making Gampaha a Success Story' (Gampaha Dinavamu) program have been great achievements.

Villages in Gampaha are now awakening as a result of development projects being implemented in 13 electorates. Until recently, most of the villagers who were poor led a hand-to-mouth existence.

Now, with the dawn of a new development era, economic prosperity is on the horizon. A main reason is the opening up of new roadways. In fact we saw a number of men and women walking in line along the new Heeralugedera-Gammeda Road in Divulapitiya.

Divulapitiya Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Deepthi Nandaraja Costa is busy with the villagers to complete the tasks entrusted to him. Already he has reached all the targets before the President commences his second term. Divulapitiya covers 220 square kilometres where 35,000 families live. It has five police divisions.

Masons and carpenters who sought jobs at building sites in Colombo have today found employment in their own villages. Today there is a great demand for them with new houses being built for people who have migrated to Gampaha following the opening up of new roads. One of those whom we met was 33-year-old father of two, Piyantha Mayadunne who had come to the area with his wife Dinushka and his 74-year-old father Piyadasa from Baddegama in the Galle District.

Provincial development

When we met Piyantha he was building a new house near the concrete road passing the home of Dolahena Anthony. People residing near the grocery shop owned by Rita Nona of Polhena Road, Hapugoda cheered when Ja-ela Pradeshiya Sabha Member Thushara Pradeep arrived to inspect a new road just completed. They continued to cheer even after technical officer Shirley Fernando of the Provincial Road Development Authority visited the site.

These villagers - beneficiaries of the new development programs - are looking forward to a peaceful and prosperous tomorrow.

The renovation of the Pethibemma Road between the cemetery of Pilankada in Attanagalla and the village itself is being completed at lightening speed.

This project costing Rs 1.2 million will benefit 350 families. Two brothers, Premaratne and Dayaratne both 54-years-old, say that this has joined two villages.

Until recently people had to travel two kilometres to reach the cemetery but now they need to walk only 200 metres.

The distance Buddhist devotees coming to the Warana temple from Bowalgala have to cover is now two kilometres less.

The renovation of the Warana Road off the Thihariya-Warapalana Road is to be completed at a cost of Rs 25 million before the commencement of the annual perahera of the historic Warana Temple on December 11.

This is a dream come true says Attanagalla Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman, Upul Mahendra.

The foundation stone covered with shrubs laid in the year 2000 for the improvement of the Warana Road today looks a memorial. A 44-year-old businessman Abdul Majid says that he and other long-time Muslim residents of Thihariya have been very fortunate to see this kind of development in their area. The Warana-Rukamale Bridge on the road to Nittambuwa collapsed in 1985. It is now being repaired at a cost of Rs 7 million.

Riding high

We met seven-year-old Sheahan Nagasena riding a bicycle on the modernized Kahambiliyahena-Madalawatta Road.

Four-hundred and fifty-one families have benefited from this road. An elderly couple 61-year-old W P Wilfred and his wife Vimalawathi told us that they have restarted betel cultivation which they had given up 10 years ago. Today they have a half-acre of successful betel cultivation and the price is Rs 1,000 per thousand betel leaves.

They were proud to say that many trades visit them because of the improved road facilities.

Wilfred also said that he would start cultivating in the next season the paddy land which he had abandoned some years back because water resources had dried up. But today with the repairing of tanks (agricultural reservoirs) water supply has been restored.

The program Minister Basil Rajapaksa has launched in Siyane Korale under the concept of "One Action Plan for One Village", to mark the beginning of the President's second term has brought to the surface hidden resources, built up people's confidence and effectively contributed to the islandwide national development program.