Basil addresses meetings in 8 electorates
Briefing People’s Representatives, Government officials and community leaders on 567 'village-to-village and house-to-house' community services at electorate level scheduled to begin in the Badulla District next month was very successfully completed in eight electorates on yesterday (24) and today (25) presided over by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.
People from 567 Grama Niladhari areas of 15 Secretarial Divisions of nine electorates in the Badulla District, Uva Province attended the briefings on identifying and solving community issues. Nearly 900,000 people live in the Badulla District and these mobile services will benefit the majority of them.
The participants in the briefings represented the Secretarial Divisions of Haputale, Haldummulla, Bandarawela, Ella, Uva-Paranagama, Welimada, Mahiyanganaya, Rideemaliyedda, Lunugala, Passara, Badulla and Haliela in the Badulla District. Nearly 1000 people attended each meeting which were held in the Cultural Hall Diyatalawa, St. Joseph’s Vidayalaya, Bandarawela, President’s College Ambagasdowa, Indrani Hall Welimada, President’s Cultural Centre Mahiyanganaya, Passara Madhya MahaVidyalaya, Simon Peiris Hall Badulla and the auditorium of the National School Haliela.
When identifying issues they will be categorised as individual and common. The public, People’s Representatives and Government Officials will work together in identifying priorities, planning according to the Government’s new approach to development. These be related to issuing of certificates and permits, social security, health, Divi Neguma, housing lands, common amenities, youth and women’s affairs, education, irrigation, religious activity among others. Every attempt will be made as far as possible to find solutions to the problems on the same day. Accordingly, wheel chairs, walking-aids, spectacles, sports goods, plants, animals, toilet equipment and items required for livelihood improvement will be among those provided to the people.
Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva and Dilan Perera, MPs Udith Lokubandara, Rohana Pushpa kumara, Chamika Buddhadasa and Vijith Berugoda, Chief Minister of Uva Provincial Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Provincial minister S. Thondaman, Baddula District Secretary Rohana Dissanayaka and other People’s Representatives, Government Agents and High-ranking Government Officials attended the above briefings beginning on Saturday.
The Government has also taken steps to extend the mobile services to Grama Seva Areas of 64 Secretarial Divisions in 29 electorates in the Ratnapura, Galle, Matara and Hambantota Districts within the next three months.
HC/med