Gampaha Municipal Council :

A new city - Lukshman Gunawardana

Hailing from a family with a strong background in politics Lukshman Gunawardana is confident of his victory. Gunawardana says Gampaha needs to change a lot to become a developed city and he is ready to bring that change.

Following are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: How do you see the present election campaign?

A: Very much a success. More than the mass rallies we really focus on meeting people face to face. Municipal Council election goes more with the grass roots level of the society. So the true problems of the villager need to be addressed properly.

Q: What do you propose for Gampaha for its development?

A: My vision for Gampaha is greatly influenced by my father who was a very successful and senior politician. When he passed away in 2000 he was Deputy Health Minister.

It was during his time the Gampaha Hospital was upgraded and developed. Among many other development initiatives, one was the Gampaha flyover which was first suggested by him during his tenure. I need to continue from where he stopped. My vision is to bring Gampaha from the present position to an elevated level.

Q: How do you plan to develop giving solution to these problems?

A: Definitely, the problem of garbage disposal and street lights should be addressed immediately. Due to this unattended garbage problem disease spring in to epidemics like dengue. Unfortunately even the tractors used by the Municipal Council to remove garbage are hired on rent. That it is not a good situation and the Municipal Council need to be strong and independent to render a proper service to its people. Rural roads, drainage systems, irrigation canals need to be cleaned and many of the areas will be healthy for the people to live.

We have a great leadership to Gampaha with Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa with the blessings of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

During a normal working day there is a huge traffic block in the Gampaha town and for that the road network need to be expanded. And after seven in the night lack of buses is a huge problem for people. We are discussing with the President Rajapaksa and Minister Basil Rajapaksa to solve the problems in Gampaha.

Q: What is your pledge to your people?

A: We promise our lifelong service to people. We will be with the people forever. Politics is in the tradition of my family. Apart from my father my elder brother Sarana Gunawardana is a Deputy Minister. Thus politics is nothing new to me. With my experience I can ensure a honest service to my people.

Gampaha will be a knowledge hub- Ravindra Ganegoda

Being in politics since 1975 former Municipal Council Member Ravindra Ganegoda from Gampaha says the town needs to realise the importance of intellectuals in its development drive. He believes Gampaha can be developed into a city of knowledge. Following are the excerpts of the interview.

Q: How is the present election campaign?

A: Very encouraging. People seem to be more enthusiastic about electing their representatives. We mostly focus on door-to-door campaigns which brings us closer to people.

I have been a Municipal Council member for 10 years. But my political career commenced in 1975. I have worked with prominent UNPers of the area and with this experience I'm confident of delivering a better service to the people.

Q: How do you plan to develop Gampaha?

A: Gampaha has a wealth of knowledge. It is the birthplace of educationists, artists and many knowledgeable people. The town should be suitable to meet the needs of such people. We have to develop the area along with the participation of intellectuals and the educated as well.

All these years we have missed this opportunity. They should be the guiding light. There is a great need for a proper garbage disposal system. An advanced system was started earlier with the support of foreign funds with recycling facilities. This became defunct and a upgraded system is essential. Gampaha needs a sophisticated auditorium. I plan to encourage this if I am elected. There are no parking facilities in Gampaha for private vehicles as well as buses. This problem should be addressed immediately.

Q: How do you see the response from people?

A: Very satisfying. We don't see any difficulty in winning this time. We have a good team and a lot of young people. We hope to win and serve people with honesty.

Q: What is you pledge to your people?

A: I promise to develop Gampaha to be among the best cities of the country. It should be developed as a knowledge hub.