News
Dullas says however much the opposition shouts country is on a development path
By Ifham Nizam
Today it had become an era of development with a march towards prosperity here, though it was not so especially during this period of the year in the past. Once upon a time, November was a misfortunate month, Power and Energy Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said on Sunday at the inauguration of the construction of the Kapuduwa Interchange on the Southern Expressway.
Alahapperuma said that the nation should pay tribute to Premier Rajapaksa, who contributed immensely for the country to celebrate as a nation in a peaceful and meaningful week, and to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who put the country on a prosperous and steady path.
The construction of the interchange will cost Rs. 387 million. Although it was planned to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the Kapuduwa Interchange in late 2014, he said.
The Minister said that the work had been delayed due to the suspension of work by the Elections Commission and that the people of the area had become part of a large charitable cause by donating their space to this noble cause for the future of the country.
“If we go back 30 years in history, we have removed that dreadful period and made it a week of prosperity today. As the Minister of Power and Energy, I would like to state that the construction of a natural gas power plant in this country is scheduled to commence in the last week of this month.”
He also said the first wind power farm in the country would be vested in the people. “This is the real change that has taken place in line with the vision of prosperity. No matter what the opposition alleges, electricity will be provided to all homes before the end of next year, provide clean drinking water to every household in the country within three years, build expressways and highways connecting the entire country, along with other major development projects,” he said.
Alahapperuma added that financial allocations had been made in the budget to accomplish many things and the President had clearly revealed the path that the country would take towards a prosperous country through such a development budget.
The situation report issued by the Disaster Management Centre at 1800hrs today (5th December) confirms that 607 persons have died due to the adverse weather conditions while the number of missing persons has reduced to 214.
The number of persons affected topped the 2 million mark (2,082,195).
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) formally took delivery of the EX- United States Coast Guard Cutter, USCGC DECISIVE, provided by the United States to SLN, at a ceremony held at the United
States Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore on 02 Dec 25. The event was also attended by the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda.
The ship formally joined the SLN fleet on 02 December under the pennant number P 628 and the main mast of the ship will fly the National Flag effective from that date.
Aiming to strengthen and develop partnerships to overcome common challenges in the maritime domain, the U.S. Coast Guard has previously provided 03 ships to SLN and they are currently patrolling island waters under the names of ‘Samudura’ (P 621), ‘Gajabahu’(P 626), and ‘Vijayabahu’ (P 627).
As an extension of partnership ties that bring value to each other’s services, Ex-USCGC DECISIVE was transferred as the fourth ship to be handed to SLN.
Ex-USCGC DECISIVE, a ‘B-Type Reliance Class 210-foot Cutter’, measures 64m in length, and having endurance of 6000 NM at cruising speed. Further, she has been designed for a
crew of 100 and is equipped with weapons and machinery.
The ship which was used by the U.S. Coast Guard has rendered exceptional service during her tenure by curbing illegal activities, including smuggling of narcotics in U.S. waters.
Sri Lanka inherits an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that is seven times larger than the landmass. In such a backdrop, the Navy is determined to deploy this vessel in wide-ranging
operations that include the conservation of marine resources in the region and the search and rescue of naval and fishing communities in distress. Thereby, the Navy will be able to utilize
this vessel efficiently in the future to achieve the national aspiration, while ensuring safe and secure seas for all economic affairs.
The formal handing over – taking over ceremony was also distinguished by the presence of the Deputy Chief Acquisition Officer and Director of Domain & Integration Services U.S. Coast
Guard, James L. Knight, Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for South and Southeast Asia, Dr. Andrew Byers, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Commanding Officer designate of P 628, Captain Gayan Wickramasuriya as well as a group of officials from the Embassy of Sri Lanka in United States and the State Department
of the United State
The situation report issued by the Disaster Management Center at 0600hrs today [5th December] confirms that 486 persons have died and another 341 persons are missing after the devastating weather conditions in the past week.
171,778 persons have been displaced and have taken refuge at 1,231 safety centers established by the government.
Death toll rises to 607, missing persons reduce to 214 at 1800hrs today (5)
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486 dead, 341 missing, 171,778 displaced as at 0600hrs today [05]
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