Badulla district stands high in the past and present Sri Lanka
Nadira Gunatilleke
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Opening of the new building by Prime
Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake and Minister of Health and
Nutrition Nimal Siripala de Silva |
Badulla is a district in Uva Province in Sri Lanka. The entire land
area of the Badulla district is 2,861kmý and total population is
837,000. The district is bounded by the districts of Moneragala and
Ratnapura on the East and South, by Ampara and Kandy districts on the
North and by Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura on the West. There are nine
electorates in this district.
They are Badulla, Bandarawela, Haliela, Haputale, Mahiyanganaya,
Passara, Uva Paranagama, Welimada and Viyaluwa. There is one Municipal
Council, Badulla and two Urban Councils, Bandarawela and Haputale. The
number of Pradeshiya Sabhas in this district is 15.
Mainly the economy of the district is based on agricultural farming
and livestock. Badulla District is an agricultural district where tea,
vegetable and paddy are cultivated. Mainly the district is divided in to
two portions as Upper region and Lower region according to climatic and
geographical characteristics.
Upper division of the district is famous for tea plantation and
vegetable cultivation while lower division is famous for paddy
cultivation.
The meaning of historical name ‘Wellassa’ is the land with 100,000
paddy fields. Mahiyanganaya is the first place the Buddha visited in Sri
Lanka. In order to bring back the past glory, the present Government
initiated ‘Pubudamu Wellassa’ ‘Reawaken Wellassa’. For the Pubudamu
Wellassa project, the Government has allocated approximately 20.98
billion rupees during the 2006-2009 period. The project includes almost
all sorts of development drives especially Uma Oya, Menik Ganga and Weli
Oya multi-purpose irrigation projects.
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One of the
new emerging public buildings in Badulla |
These three projects will benefit over 800,000 people. The Government
has implemented Gama Neguma, Jathika Sawiya, thousand water tanks
development plan, Maga Neguma and many such development programs.
Badulla district included three divisions which were rated among the
poorest areas of Sri Lanka few years ago. In 2002 Badulla poverty level
was 37 percent and at present it is decreased to 23 percent.
The people living in the Badulla district enjoy the best healthcare
service at the time of Independence in 1948. A new oncology unit blood
bank and a drug store were constructed in the Badulla General Hospital
at a cost of Rs.140 million.
The construction of a new building in this hospital was completed at
a cost of Rs.400 million. It consists of an outpatient department,
clinics, operating theatres and ICU. Mahiyanganaya base hospital
developed. Surgical theatres, a pre-mature baby unit and maternity wards
were constructed in the Mahiyanganaya Base Hospital at a cost of Rs 260
million. A new two storied building for an outpatient department and a
Paediatric Ward and laboratory in the Welimada Base Hospital were
constructed at a cost of Rs.50 million.
The Ministry took over 10 estate hospitals in order to provide better
healthcare to the estate sector population.
The Ministry also developed the road network in order to provide
better transport facilities for patients. The roads belong to estate
companies and not to the Government. But the Ministry developed the
roads.
The Ministry spends over Rs.25 million for each estate hospital to
provide modern medical equipment and other facilities. The Ministry also
provided Rs.15,000 each for 1500 families to build toilets in order to
minimize the spread of communicable diseases in the area. Low weight
births is a common problem exist in the district due to early marriages
of females. The Ministry made arrangements to provide a nutrition
package for pregnant mothers to solve this problem. Clinics have also
been provided for them in order to avoid long distance travelling.
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Sky-riser
mega building which is a common feature in the district
today |
Another significant development drive launched in the district aimed
at modernising the road network.
One year ago it took 15 hours for a truck transporting agricultural
harvest to reach Colombo and with the renovations and optimum quality of
the road network it takes only eight hours now. Ella-Wellawaya, Nuwara
Eliya-Badulla, Passara-Badulla, Meegahakiwula-Badulla roads are also
well developed. The Nuwara Eliya-Badulla road expanded by 7 metres in
width with a total length of 68 kilometres.
The total cost of this project is around 5.34 billion rupees. Colombo
Chenkaladi road to be constructed soon and the cabinet approval has
already been granted for the cabinet memorandum presented by Healthcare
and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva for this purpose.
Almost all main bus stands and bus stops have already been
constructed and modernised. 80 percent of rural roads have been
concreted. Over Rs.10,000 million spent over road constructions.
Badulla town to be developed as a `Green City’ and the program has
already been commenced and going on very successfully.
The garbage problem of the city is completely solved. Uva Wellassa
University is built at a cost of Rs 12 Billion. The speciality of this
university is it provides vocational training for over 350 students on
various fields including beauty culture, flower cultivation and ornament
fish breeding.
The number of intake to be increased up to 1500 soon. Under the ‘Gama
Neguma’, houses to be built for the needy people of a Grama Niladhari
Divisions. For the year 2009 the Ministry of Nation Building has
allocated a total of 22.5 million rupees for Badulla district to build
houses for war heroes at each DS Division. The Ministry of Nation
Building and Estate Infrastructure Development has implemented 27
housing projects.
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Road
Construction |
The Ministry of Nation Building has implemented 19 water supply
projects in the past three years in these estates in Badulla district at
a total cost of 7.78 million rupees. In Badulla district six water
supply and sanitation facilities will be provided to Gonamotawa upper
division road, Nayabedda estate’s St. Catherine division, Gonakelle
lower division, Cocogalle, Springvally and Glenmore estates within this
year for which 3.84 million rupees are allocated.
Around 3.5 km north of Badulla lie the majestic, 63-meter-high
Dunhinda Falls which have been watching the change the took place in Uva
Wellassa over the years. But until the recent past, there were no
significant changes and the poverty level of the district remained at 37
percent.
But under Mahinda Chinthanaya massive development drives came to the
district reducing the poverty level to 23 percent. Now both Dunhinda
falls and Uva Wellassa kingdom are proudly watching how it is gaining
its past glory in no time.
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