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President inspects outcomes of first-ever ‘village discussion’

27 Apr 2021

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa visited the Welanwita Village in Haldummulla yesterday (26) to inspect the progress made in the village after having held the first-ever “Gama Samaga Pilisandara (Discussion with the Village)” programme there last September. Welanwita in Haldummulla, which was identified as the most rural village in the Badulla District, was the location of the first Gama Samaga Pilisandara programme seven months ago. A press release by the President’s Media Division said that President Rajapaksa began this programme on 25 September last year with the aim of meeting people from remote villages to ask them about the problems they face, bring the attention of officials to these problems instantly, and solve them. The President started the inspection of progress from the sportsground that was built by the Sri Lanka Army following a request from the villagers. Two buses from Haputhale to Welanwita were also set to begin operating from yesterday. The buses would take two trips a day passing eight villages, providing solutions to the transportation difficulties the village faced. The President also inspected a house that was reconstructed by the Army which had previously been destroyed due to an elephant attack. Speaking to a few villagers who obtained deeds to lands through the Gama Samaga Pilisandara programme, the President instructed them to continue their agricultural activities. The 6 km electric elephant fence, which was inactive for almost two years, was reconstructed and villagers have been entrusted with the responsibility of protecting it. Six persons have been allocated one kilometre each with a monthly allowance of Rs. 7,500 for each person. At a cost of Rs. 54 million, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has taken steps to provide electricity for 83 houses in the Welanwita, Kumarathenna, and Akkara Seeya villages within three months. President Rajapaksa pointed out that the development projects and road development activities must be swiftly completed and handed over to the public as soon as possible. Requests made by people’s representatives for a town plan for Bandarawela and to develop the Haputale town to be a tourist attraction, received the attention of the President. The President also spoke to the villagers who had gathered around for the President’s visit. The Maha Sangha and villagers expressed that the President’s visit has provided solutions for problems that they had faced. Uva Province Governor A.J.M. Muzammil, State Minister of Rural and School Sports Infrastructure Improvement Thenuka Vidanagamage, MPs Sudarshana Denipitiya, Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, and Thisakutti Arachchi, public representatives of the area, and government officials were also present at this visit.


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