The Matara-Pitakanda carpet road that over 800 families use was opened by Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday.
It will also enable the residents to reach Mawarala via Pitakanda and Ambehena that will be of great help to the tea industry - the main source of livelihood for the people of the area. The road will also facilitate the transport of over 10,000 kilos of tea leaves to factories daily.
Minister Alahapperuma said at the opening ceremony that the project is a part of the implementation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s Saubhagyaye Dekma Policy Statment. “We came to this village today to extend the goodwill of the President, the Prime Minister and the Highways Minister to our people. This is not an attempt to get votes in an upcoming election. We will never cheat people. We will not ask you to vote us in the next election just because we built this road. Building a road means creating a new space for the residents of an area. With this new road, Pitakanda opens up to a new world,” the Minister said.
“On rainy days, children in this area walk to school with their shoes in hand. People in this area are taken to the hospitals amidst great difficulties. Politicians have cheated these people several times. That is why we gave priority to the construction of this road. Pitakanda will soon become a developed village. The difficulties faced by the adults in this area who have been without a road for a long time will not be experienced by their children hereafter. Next month, we will open the Kapuduwa Expressway as well,” he said.
Minister Alahapperuma said that since 2012, the Government has provided employment to 61,000 non-recruited graduates, regardless of ethnicity or party affiliations.
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Power to all by year end
The Government has decided to relax the strict criteria that should be followed when applying for electricity, Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday said.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is working to change the strict criteria and provide electricity to all under more relaxed conditions, he said.
Minister Alahapperuma was participating in the opening ceremony of the Matara-Pitakanda carpet road yesterday afternoon.
He said that he, as the Power Minister, he has been entrusted by the new Government to provide electricity to every household in Sri Lanka by the year end. All necessary allocations for this endeavour have been done in the budget, Minister Alahapperuma said.
Minister Alahapperuma said that the provision of electricity for Samurdhi and low income families will be completed before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
Minister Alahapperuma said that the Government recognises electricity as a fundamental right. The CEB, therefore, is working to change the previous strict criteria and provide electricity to all under simple conditions,” he said.
