Plan mooted to develop Peradeniya

• Shopping complex to be moved to Iriyagama
• Moves to save Mahaweli and water
• Water tanks on easy payment schemes

By A.H. Wickremasinghe

When the new development plan for Peradeniya gets under way all shopping complexes would be moved to the Iriyagama area, said Central Province Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa recently.

He said the shops and trade stalls directed their toilet wastes into the Mahaweli River and once the new plan was implemented, it would put a stop to that.

The Governor made these remarks as the chief guest at a meeting sponsored by the Upper Mahaweli Development Project in connection with its third anniversary celebrations.

Mr. Kobbekaduwa and Wasantha Aluvihare were elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively for the ensuing year, with R.M.D.B. Meegasmulla as secretary.

The Governor said there was currently a cry to save our water resources, and some had interpreted this cry as a move being made for a prospective water tax in the near future.He recalled the work done by the late Gamini Dissanayake in the improvement of the Kandy town. He said that decisions that are not palatable had to be taken for the development of the town.

Mayor Aluvihare said that water was a prime human need and it had to be preserved. He added that as much as 40% of water was being wasted and the cost of that wastage was above rupees one lakh.

He assured that citizens would be issued with water tanks on easy payment terms to curb wastage. He also said that earlier plans for a water project did not get underway due to various reasons. But now the President had made sure that a project funded by Japan would get under way soon and an MoU had been signed for the project that would cost Rs. 3445 million.

The use of polythene is to be banned and funeral houses should use cloth flags instead of polythene, he reminded.

Others present were Anunayake of the Malwatte Chapter Most Rev. Niyangoda Vijithasiri Maha Thera, Secretary to the Governor R.M. Meegasmulla, Chief Minister’s Secretary P.B. Herath and others.