Decentralization of resources important than decentralization of power - minister

Karaliyadda Group Corr

The government will divert Malwatu Oya to the North in the near future. Decentralization of resources is more important than decentralization of power, said Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.

The minister was addressing a meeting at the Kengalla Maha Vidyalaya, Digana to mark the distribution of land deeds and other resources recently.

Minister de Silva said resources should be decentralized among the people in a united country and added there was a flood of requests for land allotments regarding Digana. Although the distribution of land deeds was held up in the past, a large number of deeds were distributed in recent times.

The ministry plans to distribute less than 60,000 land deeds soon.

The minister said steps will be taken to set up livelihood developing programmes for the third generation of Mahaweli settlers. Ten thousand people will be granted self employment loans of Rs 200,000 each to start self employment schemes. Since there was a big demand for tea, steps will be taken to cultivate tea on land coming under the Kotmale project.

He said the 13th amendment to the Constitution was a piece of legislation forcibly imposed on the country.

"The SLFP led by late Sirimavo Bandaranaike held protest campaigns against it but the then rulers ignored such protests.

"The 13th amendment caused much debate in recent times. But the President had said that any amendment to it should be done by consensus through a PSC process," he added.

Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake, Provincial Council members and Mahaweli officials were present.