Solar power units for fisher families

Christie FERNANDO, Chilaw special correspondent

Providing electricity to all before the year's-end is one of the main ideals as envisioned by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Mahinda Chinthana programme. Power for villages would put an end to the era where underprivileged school-children had to use 'bottle lamps to do their studies, said Wayamba Provincial Minister of Fisheries, Electricity, Housing and Construction Nishantha Perera.

He was speaking at a meeting held in the Mohottuwarama island, Kalpitiya recently to hand over solar power units to 25 fisher families.

The provincial minister said that with a 50 percent subsidy, 97 more families will obtain electricity through solar power with an allocation of Rs. two million by the Wayamba Fisheries ministry before the year ends. Solar power was supplied to families living in the islands of Battalangunduwa, Uchchimunai, Palliyawatta, Dutch Bay and Punchigunduwa.

"The only alternative to provide electricity to the isolated families in the remotely located islands was through the supply of solar power energy.

The inhabitants in these islands are none other than our own people who eke out living by fishing.

Their needs though seemingly trifling and insignificant, can never be overlooked," he pointed out. "Some never imagined or dreamt that they will get electricity connections in their lifetime.