Army deployed against corruption

*Will renovate over 3,000 tanks in Rajarata
*End to corrupt ‘contract’ system

Tennakoon Kulasekera

The Army will be deployed to rehabilitate and develop 3,200 tanks and reservoirs in the North Central Province.

This follows a request by North Central Province Chief Minister S. M. Ranjith. Samarakoon made to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Chief Minister Samarakoon said henceforth, the contract system would be done away with in rehabilitating the tanks and reservoirs in the region.

The North Central Provincial Council would release the funds, machinery and equipment needed while the labour will be contributed by Army personnel, to rebuild the reservoirs to expected standards.

Contractors who undertook the work earlier, had done a lackadaisical job to skim bigger profits off the Provincial Council, according to allegations made by a large number of farmers and farmer organisations, the Chief Minister said.

Under the programme, smaller tanks and reservoirs including dilapidated ones would be developed to increase their water capacity, to help irrigate cultivable land left fallow for a considerable period of time -- with the help of the Army. This would also facilitate the resettlement of people around tanks and reservoirs and building of parks for their recreational activities, the Chief Minister said.