President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said, on Saturday, that meeting people to solve their problems was not a political drama or a media show, and it was not his policy to identify problems only through the officials without going among the people.

“The next presidential election is almost four years away. I am meeting villagers to fulfil the mission when in power. No other president has gone to remote villages to solve people’s problems. It is not my practice to stay in Colombo and consult only the officials and identify the problems of the people. Whoever criticises this system, I work according to my policy.”

“I became the President due to hard work. You can be a people’s leader by working with the people,” the President said, instructing the young people’s representatives to go among the people.

The President expressed these views while participating in the ninth ‘Gama Samaga Pilisandara’ program held at the Dikellakanda Junior College premises in the Dickellakanda Grama Niladhari Division within the Deraniyagala Divisional Secretariat Division in the Kegalle District.

The President emphasised that if any individual or group engaged in illegal activities based on the decisions taken to solve the problems of the people, they would be severely severely dealth with.

President Rajapaksa said a decision had been taken to give the cultivation rights of the traditionally cultivated lands to the farmer. It has been revealed that a group of people were taking advantage of that and harming the environment and forest reserves, the President said.

The power of nature should be used for the betterment of man, President Rajapaksa said adding that that nationalism could not be maintained without strengthening the economy and that the aim of the government was to build a national economy based on agriculture.

The ‘Gama Samaga Pilisandara’ (Conversation with the Village) program was launched on September 25, 2020 in the Badulla District. Past programs were organized covering Matale, Ratnapura, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Polonnaruwa, Kalutara and Moneragala districts.

It is the intention of the President to meet the people of the remote villages outside the city who have not been given due attention so far, to inquire into their problems and to bring them to the notice of the officials at the same time and provide solutions.

Problems that take time to resolve will be noted to be addressed later. The aim of the program is to reach out to the people of the village, ask their questions and find solutions through their own suggestions.

Dikellakanda village is located about 23 km from Deraniyagala town and borders the Sri Pada reserve. Asgala, Pallahena, Namalwatta and Urawanawa villages belong to the Dikellakanda Grama Niladhari Division. These villages have 208 families and a population of 718. Maliboda, Pothdeniya and Magala are the other villages around Dikellakanda.

Many of the people in these villages, which are located in a highly sensitive ecological zone, are engaged in tea cultivation or allied occupations. Cloves, cardamom and pepper are other plantation crops. There are 25 families engaged in the kitul industry.

People are severely affected by the underdevelopment of the road and bridge system and the weakening of public transport services.

The people present at the occasion explained to the President the various problems they were facing. Responding to complaints regarding road difficulties, the President instructed officials to commence work on the Pothdenikanda to Dikwellakanda road from Monday (08) and complete it expeditiously.