A special regional corporation to regulate and safeguard the development schemes of Southern Province should be established, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe said at Akmeemana, Galle on Saturday.
The Prime Minister was addressing the UNP Akmeemana Electorcal Central Organisation members’ meeting after opening the electoral office of Parliamentarian and UNP Chief Organiser Wijepala Hettiarachchi.
He said there was a regional development authority in the province and it was abolished. However, once again such an authority should be established to deal with development activities of the South. Chinese investors have already opted to initiate 100 new ventures in the South. Local investors will also get similar opportunities to set up their new industries in the province.
The Prime Minister added that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had trapped the country into a Rs. 482,940 million foreign debt burden which has to be settled before 2016.
Wickremesinghe said he was well aware that the former President could not manage the country anymore because he had steered the country into a serious debt trap by taking unending foreign and local credit. Therefore, they teamed up and ousted the Rajapaksa regime which had ruined the future of the country and that of the youth mortgaging the country to foreign lending agencies. Although they inherited a country which was a virtual hellhole with an unbearable debt burden, they knew how the country could be extricated from this plight, Prime Minister said
“That was one reason why the government devoted 2016 to create financial stability in the country so that we could settle all those debts,” the Prime Minister said.
He said the government also looked into the immediate people’s needs to ensure them a decent living. Therefore, the government provided economic relief by reducing the prices of essential goods. The price of petroleum and liquid petroleum gas was reduced. Salaries were increased all round. Despite difficulties, funds were also alleviated for village development.
“The Hambantota port will be run as a joint partnership between the China Merchant Company and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. This will offset 80 percent of the debt owed to China on the Hambantota Port project. Arrangements should also be made to run the Mattala Airport as a joint venture. This would help develop the Mattala Airport and bring in one million tourists within the next five years,” the Prime Minister said.
He said factories should be set up in the south to supplement this development programme. Now the government was identifying land from Hambantota, Moneragala, and Matara to set up the industrial zone. A southern corporation would be set up to provide regional land to investors. It is to get Chinese investors to open up at least 300 factories in the region, the Prime Minister said.
There would be an oil refinery a cement factory, a dockyard, power plant and a steel factory, he said.
“Another plan was being mooted to develop the area from Deduwa in Akurala upto Koggala with foreign investment. If people desired to convert their old-fashioned houses into small tourist guest houses, arrangements would be made to provide instructions on the preparation of Western and Eastern cuisines to cater to tourists. For instance there was a chain of small tourist guest houses today around the Sinharaja forest. The government was now taking steps to introduce and develop information technology. A tourist zone would be set up in Wayamba, Industries in Kalutara and development plan was also envisaged for Kandy and Trincomalee. Polonnaruwa would be developed under the ‘Pibidemu Polonnaruwa’ programme. Foreign investment on a massive scale is needed for these development schemes to take place, the Prime Minister said.
Although opponents were hell bent on trying to break up the consensus national government, it would continue nonchalantly till 2020 under the leadership of President Maithripala Sirisena.
Paying a tribute to Akmeemana UNP organiser, Parliamentarian Wijepala Hettirachchi, the Prime Minister said he is a very active and energetic parliamentarian who worked round the clock to cater to the needs of his people and the progress of the party.
Ministers Vajira Abeywardena, and Gayantha Karunatilleke, Parliamentarians Wijepala Hettiarachchci, and Bandulal Bandaragoda spoke. Southern Provincial Council Opposition Leader Tennakoon Nilame was present.
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