For the revival of irrigation systems, the 'Vari Mahima Ape Urumaya' Gal Oya Irrigation Rehabilitation Project inaugural ceremony was held at Naikadu on the southern bank of Gal Oya

For the revival of irrigation systems, the inaugural ceremony of 'Vari Mahima Ape Urumaya' Gal Oya Irrigation Rehabilitation Project was held today (05^th ) at Naikadu on the southern bank of Gal Oya, under the patronage of the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha.

Speaking at this occasion, Director General of Irrigation Ajith Gunasekara stated that the Department of Irrigation provides water from reservoirs including Senanayake Samudraya to more than 50,000 acres of paddy fields for rice cultivation. The Director General also mentioned that the Ampara district makes a significant contribution to the country's rice production. He further noted that nearly 1000 million rupees has been allocated for the Ampara district through budget proposals, and a substantial amount has also been allocated for the Ampara district from the budget of the Department of Irrigation.

Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha expressed his views at this occasion.

“The funds allocated from this year's budget must be utilized and completed by November. A total of 900 million rupees has been allocated for Digamadulla. A sum of 150 million rupees has been allocated for this project that we are launching today. Through this program, an earth embankment has been applied for the protection of the tank bund. Granite must be continuously applied to protect this earth embankment. Otherwise, it will not be possible to protect this earth embankment. As the Director General of the Department of Irrigation mentioned, “Kumbuk” plant cultivation should be carried out along the length of the embankment. This way, the tank bund can be protected for a long time. To protect “Kumbuk” plants, we need the cooperation of farmers and farmer organizations. These plants can be damaged by animals. Therefore, I make a request that farmer organizations join together with people's representatives in the area to protect these plants.”

If work is not done quickly, this task cannot be completed by November. After the engineers complete the preparation of the tank bund, we can hand over the tank bund to public ownership by November."

“There are two groups that contributed to the destruction of our country. One is the political group. They engaged extensively in theft, corruption, fraud, and embezzlement. That was money that should have been used for the development of our country's people. Therefore, development was hindered. For the first time in Sri Lankan history, ministers are being brought before courts. In rebuilding the country, we have two tasks to do regarding politics. One is for us to refrain from stealing. The other is to punish those who stole and recover the money that has been stolen for so long. You can clearly see that these tasks are being successfully carried out at present. The public service has also contributed directly to the destruction of our country. Building a public service that satisfies the people is also a major challenge for us. We ask public officials to abandon the old system and dedicate themselves to the people, otherwise this country cannot be rebuilt. We have started a new culture in our Ministry. Accordingly, in case where the public brings a problem to us, when that person's name and telephone number are referred to the relevant officer, that officer must provide a solution to the problem. The Director General of Irrigation deserves my respect at this occasion as an officer who properly fulfills this duty."

“The example we should demonstrate is that politicians and public officers must work for the people. We must connect with the people as much as possible. We are building the public service. It will take some more time for that. We are going through a transitional period where we are changing politics from a bad place to a good place. There are also various problems in society. It also takes time to change that. There is racism and religious extremism in society. What should be created in society is brotherhood. We must proceed on this journey by changing politics, public service, society, and the economy. We have only begun it. It is a long-term responsibility."

Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Public Security and Community Empowerment Wasantha Piyatissa and the officials of the Department of Irrigation also participated in this occasion.