President fulfils pledge to NCP farmers - Chief Minister

by Nimal Wijesinghe, Anuradhapura Additional District group corr.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is really a people friendly leader who never gives false promises for mere propaganda or publicity, said North Central Province Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake at the historic occasion of releasing the first irrigational water turn under the first phase of Palagala Kotte ela scheme recently.

He said when he was the Prime Minister he pledged that he would intervene to remedy the acute water problem faced by the people in Palagala area. Under the auspices of President Rajapaksa we started the re construction of historic Kotte-ela scheme. Which completely solved the irrigational water shortage in Palagala area filling 45 tanks in the zone enabling to cultivate 5000 acres.

The Chief Minister said, the North Central Provincial Irrigation Department has incurred Rs.40 million for the project. Under the first phase an anicut has been built across Havan-Oya which is carrying the spill and surplus waters of Dewahuwa reservoir along with drainage water to Balaluwewa at Kalugalayaya village.The water is flowing to Pelbendiyawa tank along a newly constructed four kilometres long canal from Kalugalayaya anicut.

Under the second phase it has been planned to release water from Pelbendiyawa tank to Heen-ela and a dam will be constructed over it to send water up to Karawila wewa the last tank of the cascade of 45 small tanks. Ten thousand farmer families who suffered untold hardships due to scarcity of water since 1960 in 27 villages are benefited owing to the scheme once fully completed” said the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister said further that an accelerated tanks rehabilitation program has been implemented to rehabilitate nearly 100 tanks abandoned in the once war battered areas such as Kebithigollewa, Padaviya, Medawachchiya, Mahawilachchiya and located close to their Northern and Eastern provincial boundaries.