Police in civvies to crack down on nefarious activities

by Richmond Wijesekera, Bentota Group Corr.

A special police emergency network for the Southern Province was inaugurated recently by DIG Dr. Jayantha Gamage. It is manned by 120 police officers including women police officers patrolling the area from Bentota to Kataragama round the clock on motorcycles.

This new police emergency unit is intended to prevent highway robbery, reckless driving, drug trafficking, illegal liquor trade, timber rackets and other nefarious activities. At every two kilometres, a board carrying the telephone numbers of the emergency unit has been in stalled for the convenience of the public. The flying squad will appear at the scene within minutes of information and initiate inquiries.

The police emergency network which is in operation at present at the Elpitiya, Galle, Matara and Tangalla police divisions will be extended to other police divisions in the province soon.

The public may call 119, or 091-4933333 and provide information to the emergency unit or seek assistance in case of emergency. In addition a team of police officers in civvies will be on board the passenger buses to nab criminals.

Addressing the gathering at the inaugural ceremony Galle District Secretary, Asoka Jayasekera said that the setting up the Southern Province Emergency Unit was an innovative step that would set an example to the other provinces.

He pointed out that the escalating wave of crime could be brought under control if such a system implemented islandwide.

High Court Judge, Galle, Chandrasena Rajapaksa, Chief Magistrate Nishantha Haputhanthri and several senior police officials attended the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Bantota police arrested a young man who allegedly snatched a gold chain from a woman who was walking along in Bentota Tourist Town. The suspect who was riding a motorcycle was taken into custody at the Bentota police checkpoint.

Inquiries revealed that he was involved in several similar robberies in the area. During further investigations police recovered six gold chains robbed by him. The suspect was produced in Balapitiya court and remanded.

WB grants over 1.7 m for projects

Kandy North Special Corr.

Out of the 900 water supply and sanitary projects funded by the World Bank, 594 are located in the Central Province, said Central Province Chief Minister, Sarath Ekanayake at the opening of Pitigoda, Pamunutenna Water Supply Scheme in the Udadumbara electorate. The total estimated cost of the projects is over Rs. 1.75 million. The number of beneficiaries is 44.

'He said when the agreement was signed with the World Bank, funds were provided in the form of a loan although it is now handled as aid. Samurdhi grants would be increased with self-employment projects being opened to them when their economic states of the beneficiaries.

Udadumbara PS Chairman - Senarath Bandara Halgala, Divisional Secretary - P. L. Nandana, Water Supply Project Director - Gamini Rajapakse and several others spoke.

Call to support new leadership

by P. Rajaratnam in Nuwara Eliya

Minister of Investment Promotion, Navin Dissanayake said the politics in the plantation sector have set in a cross path, and which is not inconsistent with their own interest and further development. They have been preached to either to fall in line with the C.W.C. or Thondaman and Chandrasekaran of the Upcountry Workers Front, when the elections were held recently.

Minister Dissanayake was addressing the 13th Annual sessions of the National Union of workers held at Nuwara Eliya presided over by its President, P. Digamparam.

He said his late father, Gamini Dissanayake during his tenure of office had done everything possible for the welfare and development of the estate population and the people of Indian origin at large, and which task is being implemented by him too.

He said that even though there were a number of plantation trade unions in this sector, yet much has to be done for the plantation workers, specially to uplift their standard of living, the children's education, their economics, the infrastructure facilities. He requested the estate workers to support young and upcoming leaders such as Digamparam, S. Sathasivam and himself and thereby change their old and parochial thinking that and fall in line with modern trends.

P. Digamparam, the president of the N.U.W. said that time was opportune and has become necessary for the plantation workers to change their whole stance from their earlier concepts in believing their leadership and become live to the present changes and believe in genuine leadership in their future interests.

S. Sathasivam, General Secretary of the Ceylon Workers' Alliance said that past history had shown that the C.W.C. had betrayed and belied in all their welfare measures including the plantation workers ages, and that was one of the reasons for his Union together with others had to seek legal remedies.

Several others including the General Secretary of the N.U.W., S. Philip spoke and some Indian artistes were among those participated.

N'Eliya MPS provide Rs. 9.9m from DC budget

G.A. Gunasena Ginigathena Special Correspondent

Two hundred and four development projects were implemented in the Ambagamuwa DS division in the Nuwara Eliya district by the Ambagamuwa DS at a cost of Rs. 9.9 million funded by the Nuwara Eliya district MPS from their parliamentary decentralised budget 2007 during this year.

Minister of Livestock development R.M.C.B. Ratnayake provided Rs. 675000 for 8 developments projects. Nuwara Eliya district MP Mrs. Renuka Herath Rs. 370000 for 7 projects, Nimal Premawansa Jayasinghe Rs. 230000 for 8 projects, the Minister of Community Development and Social Enequity. eradication P. Chandrasekaran Rs. 1.1 million for 43, Ramalingam Chandrasekaran Rs. 750000 for eleven, V. Puththirasigamany Rs. 260000 for six.

Meanwhile the Deputy Minister of Estate Infrastructive Muthu Sivalingam donated Rs. 1.4 million for 27 projects, the Deputy Minister of National Integration S. Jegadeeswaran Rs. 67 million for 32, the Minister of Youth Empowerment and Social Economic Development Arumugam Thondaman Rs. 2 million for 34 projects from their deconstralised budget.

Rs. 835000 was provided by the Minister of Investment Promotion Naveen Dissanayake for 22 development projects. Rs. 100,000 by the deputy Minister of posts for one and Rs. 200000 by the Nuwara Eliya district MP P. Radhakrishnan for two projects.

Protest against alleged assault on 3-wheeler driver

by P. Rajaratnam in Nuwara Eliya

Tissa Seneviratne, leader of the Opposition vehemently protested against the three-wheeler drivers being allegedly assaulted by the tenderer who collects charges purportedly showing Municipal Council receipts without the endorsement of the Municipal Commissioner.

Seneviratne was speaking at the monthly meeting of the council, which was presided over by the Mayor Chandanalal Karunaratne. The speaker also alleged that when the victims of the assault made a complaint to the Nuwara Eliya police, it was not entertained, till such time he made a complaint to the Superintendent of Police.

The opposition member also protested against the Mayor being delegated sole power on all dealings in the forthcoming April Nuwara Eliya seasonal activities. We wanted the council to have the authority to monitor all its functions, with the approval of the members.

He also wanted the council to take early measures to repair the Central Market's roof properly since the public who patronise the market were in constant danger, in the event the roof coming down.

Mayor Karunaratne, refuting all the allegations made by the member, said that since, he took over the council as the Mayor in 2003, the whole city was developed and the April Seasonal activities were done according to the correct procedures in the larger interest of the residents, and those visitors who flocked into the city.

He said the public and the visitors will vouch for all the developments that Nuwara Eliya has undergone in the recent years.

Regarding the charges levelled against the tenderer who was said to have assaulted the three-wheeler driver the Mayor directed the Municipal Commissioner to initiate inquiries.

The Mayor also undertook to see that all roads were properly repaired with the funds provided by the Chief Minister of the Central Provincial Council.