President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasised that both the political authority and public officials have a responsibility to ensure that the LKR. 500 billion allocated by the Government in response to Cyclone Ditwah is utilised effectively and efficiently for the recovery and development of the affected communities and areas. The President further stressed the need to complete all related projects before the end of this year.

The President also pointed out that the Government has already taken steps to transform the culture in which the law was selectively enforced based on power, wealth and political connections and to establish a new culture where all citizens are equally subject to the law. The President noted that certain groups are attempting to portray the creation of a law-abiding society as a major crisis, but stressed that, in building a civilised nation, it is essential to create a society in which everyone is accountable under the law.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks while attending the Special District Coordination Committee Meeting for Matale held on Tuesday (12) morning  at the Veera Keppetipola Hall in Matale.

The President further emphasised that the law should not be regarded as an obstacle preventing public officials from properly discharging their duties. He called upon all officials to remain fully committed to rebuilding the lives of the people by working within the legal framework and ensuring that public funds are utilised in a planned, efficient and productive manner.

During the meeting, the President also conducted an extensive review of the progress of compensation payments for the loss of lives and property caused by Cyclone Ditwah, as well as the measures taken to restore housing and normalcy to affected communities.

Officials stated that the compensation allowances of LKR 25,000 and LKR 50,000 granted to families affected by Cyclone Ditwah have now been fully disbursed within the Matale District. They further noted that the student assistance allowances of LKR 15,000 and LKR 10,000 have also been fully paid.

Officials also informed the meeting that the disaster had caused complete damage to 254 houses and partial damage to 3,829 houses within the district. Compensation payments have already been completed for all houses eligible to receive assistance without a formal assessment, while assessment procedures for the remaining houses are currently underway.

Extensive discussions were also held regarding alternative solutions to issues arising from various circumstances, including the lack of land ownership, the location of properties within high-risk zones and occupation of protected reserve areas. The meeting further discussed possible amendments to the existing criteria in order to expedite these processes.

The President also reviewed the progress relating to compensation payments for lives lost due to the disaster, compensation for families relocated from high-risk areas, the provision of housing rent allowances, the issuance of National Building Research Institute (NBRI) reports, as well as the progress of housing construction and land acquisition activities.

The President emphasised the necessity of relocating all families currently residing in high-risk areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah. Highlighting the importance of formulating the necessary legal provisions in this regard, the President instructed officials to treat the resettlement of these families in safer locations as a priority matter and to expedite the process.

The President also inquired into the measures being taken to care for children who lost their parents due to the cyclone and to safeguard their future. The President instructed officials to prepare individual support programmes for each affected child and refer them to the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.

Issues affecting the school system within the district were also discussed during the meeting. The President highlighted the importance of releasing the relevant lands and constructing school buildings in line with the plan being implemented under the Ministry of Education for the relocation and restoration of the school system.

In addition, the President reviewed the progress of the road development programme in the Matale District relating to roads damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.

Officials stated that 16, A and B grade roads and two bridges in the Matale District were damaged by the cyclone. They further noted that reconstruction work on all 16 roads and one of the bridges has now been completed, while discussions were held regarding the expedited reconstruction of the remaining Moragahakanda Bridge as a permanent structure.

The President also inquired into the progress of construction work on the Riverston Road, which is of significant importance to the tourism industry, as well as the Galewela–Matale road project, which has remained a long-standing issue. He instructed officials to expedite the completion of both projects.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of restoration work relating to roads, bridges, culverts and water projects under local government authorities in the Matale District that were damaged by the disaster.

In addition, discussions were held regarding the compensation process under the Ministry of Industry for businesses in the service sector, the tourism sector and the mining sector that suffered losses due to the disaster, as well as the challenges that have arisen in implementing the compensation programme.

The President also reviewed the measures taken to restore the agriculture and livestock sectors. He noted that the Government has placed special emphasis on promoting rural agriculture, with a focus on developing a production-driven economy.

Discussions were also held on the Matale Urban Development Plan implemented under the 2026 Budget allocations, as well as the project to relocate the Dambulla Hospital. The President stressed the importance of ensuring that these initiatives are implemented within the stipulated timeframe and that their benefits are effectively delivered to the public.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Matale District Coordinating Committee and Deputy Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Gamagedara Dissanayake, Co-Chairman and Governor of the Central Province, Professor Sarath Abayakon, Members of Parliament Sunil Biyanwila and Dinesh Hemantha and the Chief Secretary of the Central Province, Ajith Premasinghe, along with local government representatives. Also present were the Commissioner General of Essential Services and Chief of Staff to the President,  Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retired), Matale District Secretary, L.P. Madanayaka, senior officials from relevant departments, representatives of the security forces and other state officials.

(PMD)

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The red carpet was rolled out for President Trump and his entourage’s arrival [BBC]

[BBC]

Kagiso Rabada and Mohommed Siraj could have been wearing their Test whites. By the end of the powerplay, they had bowled three overs each, and Sunrisers Hyderabad were reduced to 34 for 4. Somehow, they had outdone the Gujarat Titans batting line-up from the first innings – they had been reduced to 34 for 2 themselves. Wickets in hand allowed B Sai Sudarsan (61 off 44) and Washington Sundar (50 off 33) to mount a comeback for GT. On the other hand, SRH let a tricky chase of 168 slip from their grasp, folding for 86 in 14.5 overs.

At the toss, GT captain Shubman Gill said that the pitch in Ahmedabad looked like “a better wicket than we have had in the past couple of matches.” He was dismissed in the third over, off a rare mistimed swipe across the line. He had misjudged a pitch that turned out to be one of this IPL’s most treacherous ones: deliveries stuck in the surface, the new ball jagged both ways, and scoring options were hard to find square of the wicket.

An endless battery of tall GT fast bowlers – rounded out by Jason Holder and Impact Player Prasidh Krishna in the middle overs – kept striking in the chase. At the end of it, GT rose to the top of the table with 16 points.

Pat Cummins unlocked the secret to bowling on this surface early: he pushed it in on a hard length, and kept swinging the new ball away from both Sudharsan and Gill. But the first two wickets for SRH came from elsewhere. Praful Hinge found himself back in the SRH side, in place of Harsh Dubey to give them an extra pace option.

Hinge mimicked the Cummins line-and-length early on, and tempted Gill into a misjudged on-drive. In the final over of the powerplay, Jos Buttler realised he could not go big in the ‘V’, so he tried to scoop Hinge behind the wicket instead. All he managed was an edge to the keeper.

Hinge’s twin strikes consigned GT to 34 for 2, their lowest powerplay score this season.

If ever there was a pitch suited to Sudharsan’s brand of T20 batting, it was this. He kept pouncing on the deliveries that erroneously landed in the slot, and pushed the others around to turn over the strike. Nishant Sindhu, who made 22 off 14, kept him company at the other end through the middle overs. Sindhu stayed deep in his crease and played drives and cuts, both batters biding their time.

Sensing a breakthrough, Cummins brought himself back into the attack in the 10th over to bowl his third. He rifled in a delivery outside off, full but rearing off the pitch at Sindhu. He could only mistime a lofted drive to long-off.

Cummins ended with figures of 1 for 20 in the 16th. Just an over later, Sai Sudharsan – who had brought up his sixth half-century of the season – opted for another scoop off Sakib Hussain. The full delivery took off the bottom of his bat, and Hinge gobbled it up at short third.