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10,000 hectares to come under maize cultivation in Mahaweli Zones

Published

6 years ago

2020/08/30

Abandoned lands to be reacquired

State Minister of Mahaweli Zone, Canals, and Settlement Infrastructure Development, Siripala Gamlath, unveiled plans to cultivate 10,000 hectares of maize in Mahaweli Zones under the national food cultivation program ‘Vision of Prosperity’ launched by the President and the Prime Minister.

He said the government has taken a policy decision to suspend the import of non-essential food items. In this backdrop, moves are already underway to grow different varieties of food, including maize for which 10,000 hectares of land have been earmarked in the Mahaweli Zone.

The State Minister was addressing a group of representatives from farmer organizations in Mahaweli B Zone and some investors at a meeting to discuss prevailing issues, in Manampitiya, Polonnaruwa, last week.

“The annual demand for maize in the country is 500,000 metric tons. Of this, 250,000 metric tons are produced locally and my Ministry expects to supply 10% of the demand through the Mahaweli Zone. The balance has to be imported at a cost of Rs. 3 billion”, Gamlath noted.

The State Minister also participated in an inspection tour to review the progress of lands leased to large-scale investors in Welikanda, Aselapura, Ellewewa, Sinhapura and Punani in the Mahaweli B Zone.

During the inspection, it came to light that certain investors had not shown any interest in the projects. It was observed that these investors, who had obtained lands from the government for various agri-business projects, had abandoned them. This resulted in the lands remaining idle for years.

At this juncture, the State Minister directed the Director-General of the Mahaweli Authority, Sunil S. Perera to take over such lands.

He advised the Director-General to introduce a system to utilize the abandoned lands for productive purposes such as leasing them for cultivation to suitable investors or farmers.

It was also observed that certain investors have made the lease payments merely to hold on to the ownership but not put their lands into proper use. Certain investors have used only about 10% of the total land they obtained under the lease agreement.

The State Minister also noted with appreciation the investors who have fully utilized the lands they had obtained for projects.

Saying that abandoning Mahaweli lands in this manner is a waste of public property, Gamlath instructed the officers to properly scrutinize the projects in advance and allocate lands only to prospective investors in the future.

Mahaweli Authority Director-General Sunil S. Perera said that action has been taken to re-acquire 120 plots of land from a group of investors who failed to embark on viable projects or go in for any development activity so far.

He further said that 50 such blocks of land have already been allocated to different investors to begin development projects.

According to the Mahaweli Authority, 15,000 acres have been leased out to investors, farmer organizations and 806 other individuals for agricultural projects.

Deputy Director-General of the Mahaweli Authority, Engineer P. G. Gunapala, Director of Mahaweli Agriculture, B. Neville Rajapaksa, Mahaweli Project Development Director, Wasanthi Senevirathna, Mahaweli Livestock Resources Director, Thamara Priyadarshani, Director – Land, Asanka Gunasekera, Director – Land Use, Indika Jayawardana, Mahaweli B Zone Residential Project Manager, Sugath Weerasinghe, Mahaweli C Zone Residential Project Manager, Noel Jayasiri and several other officials also participated.

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UPDATE: Flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border kills more than 100, with hundreds of tourists missing

Published

4 hours ago

2026/08/26

Priyan

More than 100 people have been killed in Nepal and Tibet, and hundreds of tourists are missing, after a massive flash flood and mudslide

The missing tourists include more than 100 from India, 54 from the US, and 33 from the UK, as well as more than 100 from Nepal itself, according to Nepal’s tourist board. The area is popular with pilgrims and trekker.

Dozens of police officers and army prtxonnel are also missing, as well as power workers. My family was swept away in front of me, one woman tells us – she and her son survived by climbing to a rooftop

In Tibet, Chinese state media report three dead and 265 missing, CCTV from Tibet shows a wall of water and mud hitting buildings at a border crossing.

Authorities initially thought an earthquake may have triggered a landslide – the US Geological Survey now says the sesimic energy was instead generated by a landslide.

(BBC)

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Advisory for High Waves for the sea areas extending from Colombo to Pottuvil via Galle, Matara and Hambantota

Published

9 hours ago

2026/08/26

Priyan

Advisory for High Waves
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre Issued at 03.30 p.m. on 26 August 2026 Valid for the period until 03.30 p.m. 27 August 2026

An advisory for high waves has been issued for the sea areas extending from Colombo to Pottuvil via Galle, Matara and Hambantota and naval and fishing communities engaged in activities in the aforementioned sea areas, as well as coastal communities living in the aforementioned nearshore areas, are advised to remain vigilant in this regard

The swell waves (about 2.0 m – 3.0 m) height (This is not for land area) may increase in the sea areas off the coast extending from Colombo to Pottuvil via Galle, Matara and Hambantota. There is a possibility that near shore sea areas off the coast extending from Beruwala to Matara via Galle, may experience surges due to swell waves.

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We must create social awareness to ensure the physical and mental well-being of children with disabilities – PM

Published

11 hours ago

2026/08/26

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that, given their particular vulnerability children with disabilities require protection, and stressed the need to foster social awareness to protect them from negative social influences while promoting their physical and mental well-being. She emphasized the need to implement awareness programmes for parents, teachers and other members of society towards this end.

The Prime Minister made these remarks on Tuesday [August 25] while visiting and observing the National Institute of Special and Inclusive Education – Shishyodaya, located in Veniwelkola.

The purpose of the Prime Minister’s visit was to observe the institutional structure and gain an understanding of the areas that require further development.

The Prime Minister emphasized that a systematic mechanism should be established to transform the institution, which was established in 2019 outside the basic standards and plans for Inclusive Education, into an institution that provides quality education to children and fulfills the targeted objectives of inclusive education. She also proposed appointing a special committee to make the necessary recommendations in this regard.

The Prime Minister further stated that steps would be taken in coordination with the Ministry of Health to address the shortage of therapists and medical professionals required to provide clinical services to students at the institution. She also stressed that the maintenance of equipment and buildings should be carried out properly using the financial allocations provided for such purposes.

The Prime Minister further noted that finding sustainable solutions to the issues faced by the institution is essential, while immediate interventions should be made to address issues that can be resolved without delay. The welfare of the teachers serving at the institution was also discussed during the visit.

Member of Parliament Anura Panagoda, Chairman of the Homagama Pradeshiya Sabha Kasun Rathnayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, ministry officials, parents and students were present.