A Farmers’ Organisation has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake regarding political interference over an electricity project.
An electricity project was set to benefit over 200 farming families who are engaged in farming with great effort on the Badulla-Monaragala district’s border.
It was more than 90 per cent completed but had been stopped by the Badulla political authorities, Chairman of the Annasigala Farmers’ Organization, Lalapith Manawadu claimed in his letter to President Dissanayake.
The Uva province political authority has ordered the Rs. 900 million project to be stopped immediately, leaving the suffering farmers of this region in the lurch.
The letter states that the cable line established at a cost of Rs. 120 million to supply electricity has been removed under the orders of Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure Samantha Viddyarathna.
The letter also states that a project to provide electricity to Sinhalayagama, Unakanda, and Annasigala commenced at a cost of Rs. 120 million, adding that these are the only places in Uva Province bordering Badulla and Monaragala districts that do not have electricity.
“Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that his word is akin to a government circular back then. When some showed tea in Ella to Ranil Wickremesinghe and talked about developing the tourism industry, he told them to fix the roads and provide electricity to this village first. For 17 years, people in these villages have written letters to Presidents Mahinda, Maithripala, Gotabaya, and Ranil requesting electricity,” the letter adds.
The letter from the Annasigala Farmers’ Organization further claims that when the Electricity Board (CEB) had installed electricity poles, laid cables, completed 85% of the electricity line, and reported the progress, Minister Samantha Viddyarathna had ordered the CEB to remove the poles.
“There is just 5 kilometers to the Uma Oya power plant from this village. The majority are extremely poor villagers trying to make a living through farming. Minister Viddyarathna did everything possible to destroy Uma Oya and now he has instructed to salvage the completed electricity project initiated by the previous government worth Rs. 900 million, villagers claim, pointing out that it’s Samantha Viddyarathna’s arrogance that left 240 families without electricity.
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