Opposition has shown it lacks principles, says Johnson

Sajith Premadasa and his supporters had once again demonstrated they had no principles by discouraging foreing investors, Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando has said.

Speaking to journalists during an inspection tour to examine the progress of the construction of the Mahakithula reservoir at Polpithigama under the Wayamba Province Maha Ela project, the minister said that Sajith Premadasa and his men used to say that foreign investors would not come here as long as the present government was in power. “When tforeign investors started to come now they are playing a different tune to the effect that national assets are being sold,” the minister said.

Responding to a query on signing an agreement with a US company to develop power plants, the minister said: “Agreements have to be signed when foreign investors come to work here. Administration of a country should be efficient to act fast to complete the agreement process when an investor comes to invest. It does not matter whether the investor is Chinese, American, Indian, German or British. According to the opposition we are not able to bring in investors. Now we have brought them even while the pandemic is prevailing. We must be happy as a nation when investors come here.”

Asked to comment on the increase of gas prices and possible fuel price hike in the offing, the minister said that those price fluctuations were temporary consequences set off by the pandemic. “This situation will change in the coming weeks. We call on people to put up with these short-term changes in the market. All these problems will be solved in a few more weeks,” Minister Fernando said.

Progress of the construction of Mahakitula Reservoir was reviewed at the meeting held at Irudeniyaya in Polpitigama on Tuesday (12).

The Wayamba Maha Ela project has been mooted to supply the water required by the Wayamba farmer community to undertake cultivation in both the Yala and Maha seasons. Another aim is to fulfil the drinking water needs of the people of the Northwestern Province. Under the project a 88.96 km canal, two reservoirs with tank buds to the height of around 25 metres at Mahakirula and Mahakithula and two tunnels would be constructed to provide water to seven irrigation schemes and 326 rural tanks in Galewela, Polpitigama, Mahawa and Ehetuwewa pradeshiya sabhas at a cost of Rs 51,729 million. It is slated to be completed by the year 2024.

The total number of families that will benefit through the scheme will exceed 40,000. It would enable cultivation of over 12,000 hectares in both Yala and Maha Seasons. This will help contain the kidney disease that is spreading in the region due to the lack of pure drinking water.

Associated with Minister Fernando were Minister of Youth and Sports and Development Coordination and Monitoring and State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development Namal Rajapaksa, State Minister of Tanks, Reservoirs and Irrigation Development related to Rural Paddy Fields Anuradha Jayaratne and Kurunegala District MPs and state officials.