Public welfare, govt’s foremost priority - President

The government is more interested in ensuring public welfare than hanging on to political power, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. He made this comment at the opening ceremony of the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Plant on Saturday. “We have supplied electricity to 94 percent of the country.

We have provided electricity to 250,000 houses between January 2011 and July 2012. We were unable provide electricity to the Northern and Eastern Provinces due to terrorism.

But with the eradication of terrorism, we supplied electricity to 600,000 households in these two provinces,” President Rajapaksa said.

“Sri Lanka is the only country in Asia that provides electricity without interruption. The government’s aim is to make Sri Lanka a hub of power and energy. The government focuses special attention to protect the environment when implementing development projects. This hydro power project has led to enhance livelihood of the people in the area,” he said.

The President said all should support the government to make the massive development programmes a success disregarding political differences.

Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Plant adds 150 megawatts to the national electricity grid. It is the country’s largest hydro power generation project launched by the government as part of the programme to provide electricity to all households in the country by end of 2016. It provides 409 gigawatts annually to the national grid. The Japanese government granted Rs 50.4 billion for the project while the Ceylon Electricity Board spent Rs 8.5 billion. The government inaugurated the construction of the project on March 3, 2006, four months after President Rajapaksa assumed duties as President.

Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said the country has experienced a revival in the power and energy sector under the President’s leadership.

Private Transport Services Minister C B Ratnayake, State Management Reforms Minister Naveen Dissanayake, Economic Development Deputy Minister Muttu Sivalingam, Central Province Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa, MP Sri Ranga and Japanese ambassador to Sri Lanka Nobuhito Hobo also participated.

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