Golden age for the South

Shirajiv Sirimane

Construction of the Hambantota Harbour in progress.

The Southern Expressway.

Galle highway under construction

The Proportional Representation (PR) system was created to prevent a single political party from obtaining a two thirds majority. This theory since its creation in 1977 was practically proven election after election as no political party was able to obtain a two thirds majority.

However this 30 year theory was completely turned on its head during the Southern provincial council election when the UPFA obtained a two thirds majority.

The reason for this triumph was the faith people had in the President. It was also a clear mandate and a nod to continue with the development drive initiated by the President.

For decades successive Governments cold shouldered the Southern province which even resulted in two insurrections in 1971 and in the 1980’s.

“Kolombata Kiri Apita Kekiri” was the popular slogan the JVP brandished as the platform to instigate these rebellions.

As soon as the President took office he wanted to address the needs of youth in the country. The best way to do this was to get the youth involved in the country’s economy and he launched a series of development projects that were never even thought possible by previous Governments.

Undoubtedly the single biggest development project for the Southern province is the Hambantota harbour project which was only talked about for over 40 years.

Hambantota is the nearest point to the main shipping route that connects East and West. As the Colombo Port is reaching its maximum capacity for all types of cargo including Bulk, Break Bulk, RoRo, Oil and Gas and Container another suitable and efficient port is needed with all facilities to cater to the increasing demands of maritime transport and customer services.

In addition the project would stimulate development in the area as a chain of other infrastructure projects and investment would follow.

The first phase of construction work of the Hambantota Harbour is nearing completion with over 75 percent of work successfully completed. The port project is scheduled to be completed by 2010, one year ahead of schedule.

The project is expected to be completed in four phases and would take 15 years for the completion of the entire project. The project includes a gas-fired power plant project, ship repair unit, container repair unit, oil refinery and a bunkering terminal.

This is said to be the second biggest development project after the Mahaweli project. The foundation laying at the Tank Farm Project and Administrative Building at Hambantota Port site was presided by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in October.

An Administrative Building of 15 levels including a roof top will also be built at the site. The Korean government is building one of the biggest Auditoriums in the country in Hambantota while several other investors are rushing to the area to make assessments.

With many mega yachts expected to berth at the Port, there will be a surge of tourism in the area. In a bid to support the project an international airport is being built in Mattala. A second airport is the need of the hour for a rapidly developing country.

In addition the transport sector would be strengthened with the extension of the Matara railway up to Kataragama - another project which was confined to only words for over 20 years. The first phase of this project is nearing completion.

A sum of Rs. 6.1 billion has been allocated for the project. In addition the second track of the existing Colombo Matara rail line and other improvements too are being done with an investment of Rs. 3.8 billion.

The Southern Expressway which is on track would also give the Southern province another economic boost as it would cut the travel time to Colombo by over three hours.

In addition under the Maga Naguma program all roads in the South are being redone while new roads with concrete too are being built. Another ambitious project is the 50 feet wide road being built to Pottuvil linking the South with the East.

The President believes that health is wealth and with this in mind the construction of the biggest Hospital of the Southern province too has commenced with Korean Government aid in Godagama.

This 1,500 bed hospital is a Rs. 6.1 billion project, with the Korean government funding Rs. 560 million. Rs. 300 million has already been invested and this is expected to be completed in several months.

One of the biggest projects to usher in prosperity to the Matara District would be the Godagama economic centre which is a Rs. 3,024 million project. The Government is now looking for land for this project. The President has also instructed officials to support the fisheries sector by building cool rooms and also the Inland Fishery Industry.

The President in a bid to strengthen the tourism sector, has decided to convert the historic Galle Harbour to a tourist harbour. This is a first for Sri Lanka (and many say it’s a region first as well) and clearly underlines the commitment of the Government to develop the Southern province.

The development of Galle Port will immensely benefit tourism in the historic city of Galle and in return it will benefit not only Galle but also the total local economic development of Sri Lanka.

When completed it would have the facility for yachts and sail boats bringing in high spending tourists.

The lack of proper electricity and a fluctuating power supply was one of the main problems faced by residents as well as investors.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s initiative ‘lighting Hambantota’ project would provide electricity to each home. Rs. 4 billion is being pumped into this project.

For the first time in South Asia a 500-acre animal park is being designed in Hambantota. The idea is to let the animals roam free and visitors would be able to get a clear view, not only in day time but also at night.

Another project is the construction of the 300 acre Botanical garden in Hambantota. All the dry zone plants would be present here and artificial lakes too would be created to add beauty.

Both these projects would be ready by mid 2011.

The President, who himself is a sportsman and a former President of the Athletic Association, also accelerated the development of the Galle Cricket stadium devastated by the tsunami. A second international stadium is being built at Suriyaweva and two World Cup 2011 cricket matches will be hosted there.

These projects would create employment opportunities for over 100,000 raising the living standards of the people. The Southern Province unemployment average is around 8.8 per cent, and it would decrease to six per cent in two years.

The people in the South are very resilient - they have bravely withstood two insurrections in 1971 and 1989 and also the devastating tsunami and now look for a brighter tomorrow.

They know that it is only the President, a Southerner himself who would usher in prosperity to the South. The two thirds majority given to his party is a small gift from the Southern nasses.