'Towards Prosperity' program will ensure stability for Uva
By P. Krishnaswamy
The Uva Provincial Council has launched many programs under the
vision 'Towards Prosperity' with the stewardship of former Chief
Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa in keeping with the 'Mahinda Chintana'
concept of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to uplift the socio-economic
conditions and standard of living of the people of the province, says a
statement of the media unit of the CM.
Infrastructure development was the main focus of the Council to
ensure a stable social and economic development for the people. Under
the program of former Minister of Road Development, Housing, Water
Supply, Consumer Affairs and Cooperatives R. M. Kumarasiri Ratnayaka the
carpeting of 2,385 km road was undertaken with part of the work already
completed. With contributions from the tea small holders and the
plantation management companies estate roads have also been developed by
the Ministry with investments of Rs.12 Mn in 2012, Rs.29 Mn 2013 and
Rs.29 Mn in 2014, according to the statement.
Since 2004 a staggering amount of Rs.42,979 Mn was allocated for
development of road network in the province, according to sources of the
Project Ministry for Highways, Ports and Shipping. In addition rural
road development projects encompass all Pradeshiya Sabha areas in the
province and the fund allocation is Rs.1,630 Mn. Both local and foreign
funds have been utilised for the mega road development projects, the
sources said.
The Uva province being an agricultural region, with vast extents of
agricultural land and tea plantations, the UPFA Government, under its
major development programs, focused on providing irrigation and
agriculture-based infrastructure to promote agriculture and export tea.
This objective has been achieved to a great extent with several
irrigation projects already completed and two major projects nearing
completion. Infrastructure facilities are almost complete with road
networks connecting interior agricultural and plantation areas.
Agricultural and infrastructure projects were launched by the line
ministries of the central government and the Provincial Council
administration.
Two of the major ongoing irrigation projects are the Rs. 76,316
Million Iran-funded Uma Oya Multipurpose Project in Moneragala and the
Rs.1700 Mn Morana Irrigation Reservoir Project in Rdimaliyadda Divison
in the Mahiyangana Divisional Secretariat area. The Uma Oya project tops
the list of all mega development projects launched by the UPFA
Government for accelerated development of the province. These two
projects and other smaller projects that have already been implemented
would hugely contribute to increased agricultural productivity while
uplifting socio-economic welfare of the agricultural communities in
particular and other communities in general, authoritative government
sources said. Farmers constantly experienced water scarcity for
cultivation in the province and the below-poverty-line average remained
markedly higher compared to other provinces but this situation is fast
changing consequent to the development programs launched by the
government, the sources said.
The Uma Oya project will address the problem of drought, annually
experienced by farmers of Moneragala and parts of the Southern province
while providing clean drinking water, benefiting a large number of
agricultural and others families in the project areas, Project Director
Dr. Eng. N.S.K.N. de Silva told the Sunday Observer. Development of
livestock and inland fisheries, increase in water spread area and
improvement in the ground water table, employment opportunities to
several thousands of skilled and unskilled persons and knowledge
transfer of modern technology are other benefits to the local
communities under the project, he said. Water will be supplied to the
National Water Supply and Drainage Board from the Puhulpola reservoir to
provide drinking water to the people of Attampitiya and its
neighbourhood before diversion of water under the project, the Project
Director said.
In a similar manner water will be supplied to Bandarawela and its
neighbourhood from the Dyrabah dam and to Ambegama and its neighbourhood
from the Kuda Oya reservoir. After diversion water will be supplied from
the Lunugamvehera reservoir to Tissamaharama and its environs, he said.
The project is expected to generate 120 MW power at low cost,
considerably offsetting the production cost of power. Another important
feature of the project is that the headrace tunnel is 15.65 km long, the
longest ever to be constructed under any major hydro power or reservoirs
project in the country, the Project Director said. |
