Mean tactics won't disrupt development drive:

'People will never fear non-existent suspicious characters'

People of Puttalam who firmly stuck to their villages facing the brunt of LTTE terrorist attacks for 30 years will never fear non-existent suspicious characters' said Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

Minister Rajapaksa who said that certain sections bent on disrupting the development programmes launched by the government aimed at rebuilding the nation liberated from terrorism were resorting to malicious propaganda and acts of sabotage requested the people including residents in Puttalam not to fall prey to such mean tactics.

The Minister expressed these views presiding over a meeting of the Puttalam District Development Committee held at the Puttalam District Secretariat on Monday.

Minister Rajapaksa who said that Rs 3,206 million has been allocated for Puttalam district development activities for the next five months handed over the relevant allocation certificate to the Puttalam District Secretary.

He said this allocation should be used for carpeting roads, rehabilitating 2,000 tanks, improving facilities in schools, rehabilitation of maternity and children's clinics, concreting rural roads, water supply extension and augmentation schemes, new buildings including bus stands and other development activities.

Ministers S M Chandrasena, Jagath Pushpakumara and Priyankara Jayaratne, Deputy Minister Neomal Perera, Wayamba Governor Tissa R Balalle, Chief Minister Athula Wijesinghe and other officials attended the meeting.