By Sirimantha Ratnasekera

Water Supplies Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara says that the government has decided to hold the elections to the provincial councils as soon as possible to elect representatives who are responsible to the people.

Speaking to the media after an inspection tour of the Ratmalana Main Store and Workshop of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board on Tuesday, the Minister said people in the country expect governance in three strata. “The first tier of government is the Executive and the legislature. The second tire is provincial councils and the third is the local government bodies.

He said that the former government had suffered from an election phobia and kept postponing elections to the provincial councils. “The provincial councils do not function because they do not have elected members. We intend to remedy this situation by holding elections and allowing people to decide whom they should need to rule them at the provincial level. We cannot let this further delay.”

When it was pointed out by a journalist that several ministers in the present government had pointed out that the provincial councils were a white elephant and they should be abolished, Minister Nanayakkara said: “Each has his or her own opinion. Provincial councils are not a white elephant. There could be some shortcomings. We are planning to strengthen the auditing process in the provincial councils and bring in new laws to make them strong bodies of governance.”

Chairman of the NWSDB D.J. Samaraisnghe, General Manager P.R.R. Karunaratne, Director H.M.R. Kiriella and water board officials were also present on the occasion