Ambitious plans to develop Galle - Gayantha

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Former Galle District MP Gayantha Karunatilleka when interviewed by the Sunday Observer said he had planned a number of development programs to be carried out in his electorate, Bentara-Elpitiya and the entire Galle District after being elected to Parliament at the general elections on April 8.

Educated at Royal College, Colombo, Karunatilleka said he started his political career in 1982 during the time when former President J.R. Jayewardene contested the Presidential election.

After leaving school, I decided to engage in full time politics and joined the then ruling United National Party (UNP), headed by former President J.R. Jayewardene.

During this period I had the opportunity to meet a number of Party stalwarts such as R. Premadasa, Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake and the present leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as well.

"Although, I was engaged in politics it did not hamper my higher studies which I continued after leaving college.

He said he was in active politics since then and he supported his kinsman Rupa Karunatillake at the 1989 general election.

Karunatilleka was appointed Chairman of the Tea Small Holders Development Authority in 1992 which paved the path for him to carry out a number of development activities in the tea plantation sector.

During this period Karunatilleka launched several programs to uplift the living conditions of the owners of small tea holdings, by granting them bank loans at low interest rates and drought relief.

He also expanded the tea cultivation to a large extent by encouraging tea land owners to re-cultivate their neglected tea lands.

Speaking on his political career, Karunatilleka said he contested the Southern Provincial Council Election in 1999 and won with the highest number of preferential votes.

"After my election to the SPC, I worked hard to ensure the well-being of the people by constructing roads, repairing culverts, conducting medical camps, distributing spectacles to the needy, providing educational equipment to remote schools, renovating dilapidated school buildings and starting small-scale self-employment projects".

He said this gave him the encouragement to contest the parliamentary election in 2001 and became a member of the Government of Ranil Wickremesinghe.

"After the two-year-old UNP Parliament was dissolved in 2004 I was re-elected to Parliament at the next election. I have been a Member of the Parliament since then," he said.

Going down memory lane, Karunatilleka said he was elected the best speaker among new parliamentarians and got the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka at the `World Democrats Conference', held in Singapore in 2002.

Asked about the future development activities he expected to carry out in the Galle District, he said the Galle District has been rated as one of the best tourist paradises in the country.

"Therefore, I hope to explore unidentified locations and promote the tourist industry for the benefit of local and foreign tourists,".

He said he expected to construct tourist villages at selected locations in the district, so that not only the tourist industry but also the unemployment problem too could be solved to a considerable extent.

Karunatilleka focused his attention to the development of the agriculture sector in the district.

He said he would encourage the people to re-cultivate the abandoned tea, paddy and rubber lands in the district.

"They need bank loans and agricultural equipment at affordable prices and I think I will be able to fulfil their needs under a UNP Government".

He said the district has a number of small-scale power generation projects and it could further be expanded by adding more such projects.

"With the commissioning of new power projects, we would be able to provide low cost electricity which will help start self-employment projects such as producing handlooms and ready made garments as a cottage industry," he said.

Speaking on the educational facilities in schools in the remote parts of the district, he said at present adequate facilities are not available to the students to carry on with their day-to-day activities.

"I hope to construct new school buildings, set up pre-schools and daycare centres for the benefit of students in backward areas where basic facilities are wanting.

Karunatilleka focused attention on improving the standard of IT and English education in all rural schools in the Galle District.

He stressed the need for new hospitals and medical centres to cater to an ever increasing population in the rural areas.