'Thanks to President, Medawachchiya has electricity'

by Nimal WIJESINGHE - Anuradhapura Additional district group cor.

Under the auspices of President Mahinda Rajapaksa 90 per cent of the electricity requirements in the Medawachchiya electorate have been fulfilled, said Indigenous Medicine Minister Tissa Karalliyedda at a public meeting held in Unagaswewa in Medawachchiya electorate recently.

He said the villagers who spent sleepless nights in the jungle in fear of LTTE terrorists before May 18, 2009, for nearly 30 years are now living comfortably in their ancestral villages sans LTTE terrorism thanks to the patriotic endeavours of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the war heroes.The meeting followed the commissioning of Unagaswewa rural electrification scheme constructed under CIDA financial assistance totalling 12.2 million rupees. Four hundred families in Unagaswewa and the suburbs benefited under this scheme.

Karalliyedda said that in 1994 when he was elected to the Parliament by the people of Medawachchiya, only 30 per cent of the households in the constituency had electricity.

He said under the Jathika Saviya, Gama Neguma and Maga Neguma programs which were launched when the LTTE attacks were at the climax, the President dared to provide infrastructural facilities and protection to the villagers in Medawachchiya, Kebithigollewa, Padaviya and Welioya.

The Minister said that at present the development activities in the region were on top gear sans terrorism and in the context they would contribute to form a UPFA government armed with a two thirds majority in Parliament to show their gratitude and whole hearted support to the President.

He said the present electoral system is meant for breeding political hatred, and violence even within the same political groups.The fighting and campaigning to get more preferential votes subdue and trample the true sense of non-violent politics.

The Minister said that some people-friendly candidates were being cornered sans wide and expensive publicity and propaganda resulting from lack of funds required to compete with powerful candidates, under the proportional voting system.

He said the President was determined to do away with this disadvantageous election methodology which set one candidate against the other even in the same party and hindered the development process.