Govt aims at regional development through Deyata Kirula :

Hardy Institute makes headway

By Mohammed Naalir

A large number of infrastructure and livelihood development projects have been implemented in the Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Polonnaruwa districts at a cost of nearly Rs. 60,000 million parallel to the Deyata Kirula national development exhibition in Ampara. Several special projects have also been implemented in each district at a cost of Rs. 2,700 million.

These projects include the modernisation of the Ampara Hardy Advanced Technical Institute to upgraded it to the level of a university, development of the Ampara city, the Cod Bay Fisheries Harbour in Trincomalee, conservation of the ancient Batticaloa Fort, and making Polonnaruwa a sacred city with modern facilities, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.

Computer centres have been set up in 100 selected schools in the four districts. Rs 3.5 million have been spent on each computer centre. The remaining funds will be utilised on development projects even after the conclusion of the Deyata Kirula exhibition as instructed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister Siyambalapitiya said.

The Government started the Deyata Kirula exhibition in the BMICH in 2007 to showcase the ongoing development projects to the international community Minister Siyambalapitiya said.

“After the restoration of peace in the country, the Government targeted the development goals and made use of the Deyata Kirula to expedite regional development, the Minister said. Major livelihood and infrastructure development projects were implemented through the Kandy, Buttala and Anuradhapura Deyata Kirula exhibitions”, he said.

“When compared to previous exhibitions the Ampara Deyata Kirula exhibition has special features. It is a major development project. The Government has given prominence to the Hardy Advanced Technical Institute”, Minister Siyambalapitiya said.

“We plan to provide over Rs. 5,000 million for various projects in these districts through private and semi Government institutions”, he said.

Besides, we have taken steps to provide benefits to the people in the four districts through voluntary organisations, the Minister said.

“All facilities have been developed to make the exhibition a success. When we started the Deyata Kirula exhibition in the BMICH premises there was no shortage of facilities. However, the Kandy exhibition site lacked facilities. Attention had to be paid to road development, electricity and water supply in the proximity of the site. In Buttala the needs further increased as the Monaragala district lacked many facilities. On the directive of President Rajapaksa we brought nearly Rs. 10,000 million worth development projects to Monaragala in line with the Deyata Kirula exhibition.

The Ratnapura-Monaragala road via Udawalawa was also developed under this program”, Minister Siyambalapitiya said.

“We focused attention on district development and decided to gift something to the people in the district during the Oyamaduwa Deyata Kirula exhibition, in Anuradhapura. We constructed a paddy store with a storage capacity of 50,000 metric tons in the Oyamaduwa exhibition site”, the Minister said.

“The development of the Hardy Advanced Technical Institute is the main focus of the Ampara Deyata Kirula exhibition. The Hardy Institute which produced a large number of technical experts had been set back due to the terrorism.

The number of students and lecturers declined considerably for nearly 30 years till the elimination of the LTTE.

The people in the area wanted only to safeguard their lives. They had no time to concentrate on education”, Minister Siyambalapitiya said.

The Ampara Railway Station at the Deyata Kirula site

A wood carving

After the elimination of terrorism the need to develop the Hardy Institute was felt to cater to the technical education needs of the people in the region as well as in other parts of the country, the Minister said.

He said the problem we face now is the gap between academic education and the requirement in the job market. Due to this the Government faces severe problems in providing jobs. Producing graduates with professional qualification is the need of the hour. The District Secretary of Ampara and the political authority in the region who helped to implement the project considering the future of the Hardy Institute.

Government institutions are the stakeholders of the development projects implemented in the Ampara Deyata Kirula exhibition.

The State Engineering Corporation, and State Development and Construction Corporation of Sri Lanka were engaged in the construction works, the Minister said.

All required facilities have been provided to the Ampara Hardy Institute including fully equipped lecture halls, auditorium and playground in line with the Deyata Kirula national development exhibition.

Our intention is to develop Hardy into an international standard technical education provider of the country, Minister Siyambalapitiya said.

“We have invited Government and private sector institutions to exhibit their products in the exhibition”, the Minister said.

“Over 3.5 million people visited the Oyamaduwa Deyata Kirula exhibition last year. It was the biggest record since the starting of the Deyata Kirula exhibition.

We invite the people of the country especially schoolchildren to visit the exhibition to view the major development projects implemented by the Government”, the Minister said.

Schoolchildren will be allowed free of charge. Development lottery ticket is the gate pass of elders, Minister Siyambalapitiya said.

The Ampara District Secretary Neil de Alwis described the Ampara exhibition as a fortune to the region. President Rajapaksa instructed us to use permanent buildings instead of temporary structures in the site.

“We have constructed 11 permanent structures in the site close to the Hardy Institute. These structures will provide facilities to promote the Hardy Institute into a university. A reading room, library, pavilion and stadium have also been constructed. A health centre, lecture rooms and hostels are also available now”, the District Secretary said.

He said the Hardy Institute is a world renowned technical education provider in the country. Due to the nearly 30 year old war on terror the institute had been set back.

Alwis said enough space will be made available to exhibit creative photographs.

He said while recognising the talented professionals we could learn something from them and promote good photographers.

He said every Ministry has implemented a development project in Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Polonnaruwa districts parallel to the Deyata Kirula exhibition. The Economic Development Ministry has implemented various development projects under the regional development program of the Ampara district covering all villages in the 20 Divisional Secretariat Divisions.

New irrigation canals have been constructed while repairing the existing canals. Reservoirs are being developed. Road development projects have been implemented costing millions of rupees. Temples, Kovils and mosques are being renovated.

All development projects have been implemented in the district identifying the important areas, the District Secretary said.

The Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa has also instructed us to implement development projects in the district through Jana Shabas, he said.

He said language training programs are also being held for the Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese e in the Ampara district. There are Sinhala people who are unable to speak a single Tamil word and vice a versa.

An Intensive language training program has been started in the district for both Tamil and Sinhala speaking people.

We have taught Tamil to 40 Sinhala people in the district, of whom more than 30 speak fluent Tamil. It is a good sign to build ethnic harmony”, the District Secretary said.

He said Ampara is a district where all three communities live in unison.

We also plan to teach Tamil and Sinhala through Basha Sangamas (language societies).

He expressed confidence that in a year or two a large number of Sinhala people will speak Tamil and Tamils and Muslims will speak Sinhala fluently.

The Ampara district has a population of nearly 650,000. There are 20 Divisional Secretariat Divisions and 503 Grama Niladari Divisions in the district.

There are 414 schools in the district. Over Rs. 30,000 million have been allocated for development projects in the Ampara district alone in line with the Deyata Kirula exhibition.