Gampaha looking forward to a better tomorrow

Centralised Waste-Water Treatment Plant in Ekala- Jaela

Economic Development Minister, Basil Rajapaksa meeting the Negombo fishing community.

It is a Sunday and I look around. Dawn is breaking and the sun rays are breaking through the clouds. On and off I hear birds chirping. It’s the beginning of a new day.

A father and daughter are on the road. He is 48-year-old Jayantha Colombage, a past pupil of D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo. After his marriage he settled down in Kittammahara, Attanagalla. He is currently a teacher at Siddhartha Maha Vidyalaya. His daughter is 12-year-old Bhagya, studying at Bauddha Vidyalaya, Nittambuwa. Both father and daughter are smiling. We listen to them.

Ven. Premarathne Thera and a farmer leader

Happy children in Gampaha

Jayantha Colombage and Bhagya

Says Jayantha Colombage,”This is a dream come true. We never thought this road would ever be carpeted. Although there were PMs, Presidents and diplomats hailing from Gampaha nothing was done here all these years. Now that transport facilities have improved we have no problems. All work is being expedited. In the past all the roads became muddy during the rains. Potholes were all over the place”.

We also meet Chandrasiri Rajapaksa, Swarna Weerakoon and several other residents of Meewala. They too agree with Jayantha. Everyone is happy over the repairs done to the road along which over a 100 vehicles including 10 buses now ply daily.

All these are the results of the Ran Aruna program covering Gampaha area which is now looking forward to a new era under the leadership of Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa. A number of short- term, medium-term and long-term programs have been currently launched under the Ran Aruna in the 13 electorates in the Gampaha District at a total cost of nearly Rs. 1,500 million per month. Accordingly each electorate gets development projects worth over Rs. 10 million. In addition to highways attention has also been paid to water and power supply, agriculture and irrigation and education and health needs, said Nimal Lansa, Provincial Council Minister at a field site in Minuwangoda.

We moved further on and met the Executive Engineer of the Nittambuwa area W.A.L. Wijayapala. According to him 420 km of roads which come under the Road Development Authority and another stretch of 680 km of the Provincial Council have been carpeted already under Ran Aruna. The Project Coordinator Sampath Walisinghe told us that 200 roads belonging to various Pradeshiya Sabhas too have been concreted under the program. Some roads which are in dilapidated condition in Gampaha town too have been done up.

A development plan to make Gampaha, the best district within the next five years is being drawn up by Economic Development Minister, Basil Rajapaksa. His inspiration is perhaps, drawn from the experiences in directing the Negenahira Navodaya in the East, Uthuru Wasanthaya in the North and the Gama Neguma.

Proud citizen of Gampaha - Swarna Wijekoon

Ven. Metikolamulle Premarathne Thera, Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sunderarama Raja Maha Vihara, told us that after many decades villagers can now cultivate 130 acres of paddy land in the area. The Venerable Thera was overjoyed that there was plenty of water in the wells. D. Mandawala, representing the Dadagamuwa Farmers Society said that under Ran Aruna cultivation would begin in all the wastelands in the next few days. The percentage of uncultivated lands in Gampaha District is still higher than in other districts.

The Chief incumbent of the historic Warana Raja Maha Vihara, Ven. Dompe Pannananda Nayaka Thera informed us that the perahera approach road was developed within eight days at a cost of Rs. 5 million. To meet all these targets the workforce is on the job round-the-clock, using over 100 machines. Initial funding has also been provided for the repairing and renovation of school buildings and places of religious worship.