Tourism comes alive:

Sprucing up Galle

Shirajiv SIRIMANE in Galle

Galle, (pronounced as one syllable, rhyming with "Gaul"), was known as Gimhathiththa before it was founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The City of Galle had been the European administrative centre over 4 centuries.

Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century before the arrival of the British who developed the harbour at Colombo and centered their attention to the capital.

Successive governments continue to follow this policy and very little development has taken place in Galle. The Koggala Free Trade and domestic airport lay idle while very little development had taken place in the Harbour.

However, the showpiece in Galle still remains the cricket stadium which is something the nation can boost of.

While plans are underway to make Hambantota the second port, both Colombo and Galle too are now in the development line of the Government.

One of the priorities would be the development of the Galle Harbour with a separate area dedicated for yacht marena.

UNESCO Plan will also be taken into consideration when implementing the new changes to the Galle Harbour development project.

With its rich cultural history UNESCO has announced a plan to conserve Galle as one of the key heritage cities in the world which should be preserved with all its ancient structures and Dutch Forts.

"We are trying to have a separate area for yacht Marena so that yacht owners could bring their yachts to this Marena in Galle. We have also taken into consideration the proposals made by UNESCO. When building the new Galle Harbour we will not cause any damage to the UNESCO Plan," an official from the Galle Harbour said.

"I must say that by the time we finish the Galle Harbour project, Galle will definitely be one of the best destinations for tourists."

The development of the Galle Harbour would bring in many development benefits to the community. One of the biggest problems faced by residents in the district is the water supply.

To iron out this over Rs. 4 billion has been allocated to provide drinking water to the areas affected by the tsunami in the Southern-Western coastal belt from Kosgoda to Hikkaduwa under the grant funding by the Government of Germany through KfW (Euro 22 million) and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Project Director, National Water and Drainage Board Ambalangoda, Jayantha, K.S. Pathirana said that this project would guarantee uninterrupted water supply to over 100,000 residents.

"We are pleased to announce that 90 percent of the project is now being completed," he said.

Areas covered under this project would include Balapitiya PRS stretching to Kosgoda, Balapitiya and Wathugedara, Ambalangoda UC / PRS area which covers, Ambalangoda, Maha Ambalangoda, Madampe, the Rajgama PRS which includes Galagoda, Meetiyagoda and Rajgama and Hikkaduwa PRS covering Kahawa, Telwatta, Seenigama and Hikkaduwa.

"We can also ensure that under this project, demand for both industrial and household requirements for 25 years could be met," he stressed.

Under the project, three ground reservoirs would be built in Hikkaduwa, Galagoda and Kosgoda while a water tower would be built in Gonapinuwala. Also, new pipelines would be laid for 188 kilo meters.

One of the main accusations the Water Board faces is that they start laying the pipes after the roads have being constructed and roads are then left undone.

"We have addressed this problem and great care is being taken to keep the roads to their original conditions after laying pipes," he added.

Accelerated

The Government has embarked on a massive rural road development project in the South to improve the region's link with the rest of the country. In Galle District, roads at Bentara-Uragaha (Rs. 500 million), Wanduramba-Athumale, Yakkatuwa-Athumale, Galle-Yakvella, Galle-Udugampola are being renovated and reconstructed.

Galle-Deniyaya Road is being reconstructed with World Bank funds amounting to Rs. 2,500 million.

Hikkaduwa beach.... a tourist’s delight.

Construction work in progress.

Pipe laying in Galle Road water tower to be built at Gonapinuwala.

The Asian Development Bank and the European Union have funded these works.

A progress of development work in the Galle District was reviewed by Senior Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa who undertook an inspection tour recently.

He said he was visiting the Southern region on a directive of the President. A meeting to review progress of the development work of the Galle District was chaired by him.

It drew attention to the present situation of the development.

Discussions centered at length on the 'Gama Neguma' development programme, the Galle Urban Development Plan, highways, power projects, the agricultural and irrigation sectors.

The southern coastal belt is the most popular among the tourists and comes to life mainly from October through April when the monsoon moves northeast and the sea becomes calm with blue skies.

The development of the tourist trade is bringing in foreign exchange so much so that a number of five star hotels have come up within the town. Hikkaduwa Hotelier's Association President Siri Gunawardane said that with peace, tourism would be one of the highest income generating industries.

"In 1980's tourism was at its peak with hotels filled with tourists and those glorious days are once again in sight," he predicted.

Gunawardane, who is also the Managing Director of the 70-rooms star class Coral Sands Hotel, said that the hotel being refurbished to meet the upcoming demand.

"Like us, many hoteliers are upgrading to meet the projected demand while new investors are also entering the Galle District," he said.

He said that Hikkaduwa alone has over 500 star class rooms and over 1,000 rooms which range from US $ 15 to 100. "One of the unique aspects of Hikkaduwa is that it has the highest SME sector and peace is very important for their survival," he said. Commenting on the recent beach festival he said that semi-nude pictures that were published in some newspapers were false and they were taken in another country and were on the net for two years.

"Beach Fest brought back much wanted revenue to the community and we welcome it once more," he said.

With the Air Force and Deccan Aviation launching flights to Koggala, this airport is now being put to use. The pace and infrastructure which is being put in to place in Galle will woo more investors to the region bringing prosperity to the lives of the people.