Deyata Kirula to boost development in Anuradhapura

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Development in agriculture showcased

The ANCL stall

A captured LTTE suicide boat on display

More than 500 acres of land bordering the scenic Madawala lake, adjacent to an area that had been haunted by the shadows of terrorism for decades, has been fast transformed into a bustling centre that can mirror Sri Lanka’s future vision when President Mahinda Rajapaksa opened the Deyata Kirula exhibition yesterday as the nation celebrated its 64th Independence Day as a truly independent nation.

Deyata Kirula has truly become a jewel for Oyamaduwa, a hamlet in the Mahawilachchiya Divisional Secretariat Division in Anuradhapura. It was known to many earlier as an area where terror reigned; as a checkpoint for Anuradhapura-bound vehicles and passengers from Vilachchiya and Tanthirimale.

Though it is located in a remote part of the Anuradhapura district, one need not worry about driving there as the dusty gravel roads and bumpy roads that had been unevenly covered with tar had been replaced with nicely carpeted roads, to host the thousands of people who would throng the area over the next five days to witness the nation’s biggest exhibition, hosted annually.

People residing along the roads leading to the exhibition site were busy turning their compounds into temporary boutiques and stalls to grab the opportunity provided by the Government to make their lives better and also to host their fellow citizens who would visit the exhibition till February 10. They would cater to the needs of over one million people who were expected within the six days of the exhibition.

In a true sense, the areas adjoining the exhibition centre had undergone massive transformation to host this event that unfolded last evening. They had also become beneficiaries of the massive Rs. 21.7 billion development package provided for the Anuradhapura district.

Five hundred acres of land out of the 2,500 acres belonging to the Livestock Products and Health Department and used as a cattle feeding area had turned into a massive exhibition area for more than 56 ministries, their affiliated bodies and the private sector to exhibit their activities to the people.

The people thronged the venue, arriving along the Anuradhapura-Thanthirimale road, Puttalam-Anuradhapura road via Vilachchiya and from the Thanthirimale direction along the Thanthirimale-Anuradhapura road.

The exhibitors have come in an innovative way to give the people in the area a lifetime experience; by turning the exhibition area to project different aspects, from the nature of the fertile paddy field to massive ships sailing in the deep sea and planes flying high in the sky.

The people converging on Anuradhapura from all directions will find parking facilities for more than 5,000 vehicles and bus services connecting main cities in the Anuradhapura district.

Innovative ideas

All ministries and their affiliated bodies have made the maximum effort to bring their institutions closer to the people through their innovative ideas, but with the minimum cost, and also with a plan to make use of the buildings constructed for the exhibition in future too.

According to the organising committees, the Presidential Secretariat stall at the exhibition grounds, covering 6,100 square feet in area and including stalls representing 11 institutions, will be transformed in to the Mahawilachchiya Divisional Secretariat after the conclusion of the Deyata Kirula exhibition. The other three massive buildings on the grounds will be used for storing paddy and other grain.

Deyata Kirula has not just become a crown for the people of Oyamaduwa, but for the entire population in the Anuradhapura district. It has become a starting point for the improvement of infrastructure facilities in the district as the main objective of this program is to identify and combine all development work within the selected district and also educate the public on development activities throughout the country.

The 702 villages in the 23 Divisional Secretariat Divisions in the Anuradhapura district have benefited from Deyata Kirula as each Grama Niladhari Division is given Rs. 2 million for expanding the Gama Neguma program. Maternity clinics numbering 173 have also been selected for repairs and work on 150 of them is already completed. Development of 191 pre-schools across the district is also in progress.

The program also aims at increasing gross domestic product and per capita income, reduction of poverty, improving education and health and other indicators of social progress in the area.

According to Deyata Kirula Committee Chairman, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Ranjit Siyambalapitiya, all projects have been planned for the people of the area to obtain the full benefits of the sources of income, job opportunities and other means of livelihood provided under the Anuradhapura district development projects.

Using the human and natural resources of the district to its maximum to achieve lasting and stable development is also one of the prime aims of this project. It will include improving livestock, inland fisheries, paddy cultivation for export, providing knowledge on new technology for agricultural development and improving agro-infrastructure for the purpose.

One of the fascinating features of the program is making Anuradhapura easily accessible for the public through the development of roads leading to the city and developing the city road network in parallel to the Independence Day celebrations.

The Colombo-Anuradhapura, Batticaloa-Polonnaruwa-Maradankadawala and Anuradhapura-Kurunegala-Padeniya roads have been improved to provide an easy and comfortable drive for the public arriving in Anuradhapura from various directions. It also provides many options when entering the city.

The carpeting of the Kurunegala-Padeniya-Anuradhapura road, which has now been completed except for a few kilometres provides easy access to the Anuradhapura city for the people arriving there from Colombo via Kurunegala, by avoiding the congested road via Dambulla.

Development of the Anuradhapura-Trincomalee Road via Horowpathana has also begun, parallel to the opening of the Deyata Kirula exhibition. All other roads connecting the Anuradhapura city with nearby towns including the Anuradhapura-Padaviya Road and Dambulla Road are also being developed fast to speed up the development process, as an improved road network is a prerequisite for the expedited development drive.

Accordingly, the expenditure for highway development across the district will be Rs.4.5 billion and for main roads within the area, Rs. 2.7 billion.

The student population in the district will also be benefited from this project as schools will get computer laboratories through a Rs.1 billion project.

The Economic Development Ministry, under the guidance of Minister Basil Rajapaksa, is playing a leading role in implementing programs to uplift the living standard of the people in the Anuradhapura district. The number of low-income households in the Anuradhapura district requiring improvements under the Samurdhi and Divi Neguma programs is 31,931.

According to the Economic Development Ministry, packets of seeds for cultivation have been distributed among 168,745 people. Several varieties of plants including 137,693 coconut plants have also been distributed among the people in the district.

Better housing

Many people living in thatched houses in the district will get a tiled roof over their heads as Deyata Kirula aims at improving the households of the district by providing them with roofing tiles.

Accordingly, more than 50,000 houses will receive 1,000 tiles each. Already 30,630 households in 23 Divisional Secretariats of the district have benefited from this program. The total number of tiles provided will be 27.9 million at a cost of Rs.800 million at Rs.30 per tile.

Tile manufacturers island wide have been given the opportunity of supplying the material thus giving a major boost to the industry which has been on the verge of collapse. A number of organisations including the Ceylon Ceramics Corporation and All Ceylon Clay Tile Manufacturers’ Association have contributed to this task.

Apart from the provision of tiled roofed houses the Deyata Kirula program also aims at providing electricity for each and every household in the district at a cost of Rs. 1.5 billion.

The village level road network will also be improved at a cost of Rs. 914 million. The irrigation sector in the district will also undergo tremendous improvement as Rs.615 million has been allocated for the minor irrigation network, Rs.550 million for the repair of national irrigation channels and tanks and Rs.200 million for bunds and canals.

Although many people view Deyata Kirula only as an exhibition running for five, six days, it has become a genuine development process for the people at Anuradhapura which will benefit many generations ahead.