More resources to harness in Kalutara - Ajith Perera

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The youthful and energetic Western Provincial Council member, Ajith P. Perera who is contesting the forthcoming General Election said that eliminating corruption is essential to develop a country.

Perera told the Sunday Observer that all MPs who will be elected to the next Parliament must engage in decent politics with the sole objective of developing the country.

Educated at Ananda College, Colombo he passed out as an Attorney-at-Law from the Sri Lanka Law College. Perera said that from the days of his early education at Wewita Maithree Maha Vidyalaya, Bandaragama, he had been closely associated with the people in the area and engaged in various social activities.

This helped me contest the 2009 Provincial Council Election and I received the highest number of preferential votes by beating all other UNP candidates in the district.

"During my short stint in the Western Provincial Council (WPC),

I found that there was no proper program to give effect to the powers vested by the Constitution."

"As a result, I proposed to set up the 'Law Commission of the Western Province" to solve this problem," he said.

Perera said he saw to the needs of his people before being appointed as the UNP organiser for the Bandaragama electorate.

"It is my desire to fulfil the needs of the people after being elected to Parliament at the April 8 election," he said.

When asked as to what he had done for the welfare of the people after being elected to the WPC, he said he launched several development projects such as constructing roads, culverts, bridges and electricity for villages.

"I helped people to re-cultivate their abandoned paddy fields by granting financial assistance from my decentralized budget, and also to launch various self-employment and home agricultural projects."

He said over 12,000 spectacles to the value of Rs. 8 lakhs out of his personal wealth were distributed among the needy in the Kalutara district a few months ago.

"I also set up a Legal Aid Centre to provide free legal assistance, to needy litigants in the district."

While predicting a UNP Government after the April 8 election, Perera said that preference would be given to the unemployment problem of the youth in the district.

"As there is a large number of bare lands in the district, I would propose to the Government to set up industrial projects in collaboration with local and foreign investors, so that the unemployment problem could be solved to a greater extent," he said.

He said although the district has plenty of natural resources, it is a pity that the authorities have still not identified them.

"My first priority will be to identify such places and carry out whatever development projects suitable for the area."

The tourist industry could be developed in the Kalutara district by harnessing the gifts of nature such as waterfalls, rivers, lakes and thick jungles with scenic beauty.

He said many roads in the Bandaragama area are in a dilapidated condition and therefore he expects to repair such roads, culverts, provide educational equipment to remote schools, renovate dilapidated school buildings and start small scale self-employment projects."

Speaking on the educational facilities in the district, he said that children in many remote schools have no modern facilities such as libraries, playgrounds and laboratories.

He said attention must be focused on improving IT and English education of all remote and rural schools in the district.

He also stressed the need for at least one or two new hospitals and medical centres in the district, considering the population explosion.

He also stressed the need to eliminate the drug shortage at many hospitals in the district, since patients are forced to buy expensive medicine from private pharmacies at exorbitant prices.

Outlining the ongoing election campaign in Bandaragama, Perera accused some of his party supporters and some JVPers in the district for tarnishing his political image, alleging that he would cross over to the UPFA after the election.

"Unlike many other politicians in the district who crossed over to the Government for personal gains, I would never do so," he said.