Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena has stressed the importance of improving the efficiency and regulating the Mahaweli projects to provide quick benefits to the farmer community.
President Sirisena, who is also the Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment, on Tuesday chaired a Progress Review Meeting to examine the progress of the projects and of future development plans conducted under the Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment.
During the meeting detailed discussions were held regarding the special development plans conducted under Ministry of Mahaweli Development.
The President also emphasized the importance of conducting proper studies on possible dry weather conditions in the future and plan management of water levels of reservoirs accordingly and inform the farmers to manage their cultivations in the future on the basis of such forecasts. He instructed the officials to launch such awareness campaigns through farmer organizations.
The attention was also drawn on the construction of Wayamba Cannel and the upper Elahara Canal projects and instructions were given to speed up the construction works at Madirigiya, Bisopura village under the Moragahakanda Project and distribution of lands to the displaced persons expeditiously.
President Sirisena advised the officials to construct a program to transfer the buildings that belong to Ministry of Mahaweli Development, which are not in use to the health and education fields under a proper procedure immediately.
Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources, State Minister of Mahaweli Development, Mahinda Amaraweera, Secretary to the Ministry of Mahaweli Development, Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the State Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, Shantha Wijeratne, acting Director General of Mahaweli Development Authority, R.A.R.R. Rupasinghe and other officials were present at this meeting.
