PM rebukes saboteurs

Gampola group corr

Legal action will be taken against any one trying to disrupt the country's development process irrespective of his or her status, said Prime Minister D M Jayaratne.

He said when the government is launching massive programmes to usher in rural development, information regarding certain people trying to disrupt the process has been received by the government.

Prime Minister Jayaratne made these observations at an awareness programme on development for people's representatives and state officials in the Gampola electorate at the National Heritage Centre, Gampola recently.

He said even though the government is engaged in launching development schemes spending vast sums of money, certain people were obstructing the programmes on various grounds.

Officials spearheading development programmes were getting frustrated due to undue pressure on them by the saboteurs. He said public officials handling development programmes should not get discouraged due to such pressure as the government will stand by them if they do the right thing in the country's interest.

There is no use of public officials who cannot render an excellent service by the people, he said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa directed them to develop every Grama Niladhari division. Development work is taking place on the direction of each Divisional Secretariat rather than according to the whims and fancies of an industrial.

The government laid emphasis on the development of the individual concurrent to village development, he said.

The Prime Minister said however much they strive to foster development, such contribution was not a passport to gain people's votes.

Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake and several others also spoke.