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Six tanks to be sacrificed for 1,435-acre project

9 December 2011 12:43 am - 21     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa yesterday asked Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage to be more sensitive to the needs of farmers who would be affected by a government plan to set up a 1,435-acre sports village with the filling up of six tanks in Suriyawewa.

The Speaker made the appeal when the minister responded to a question by United National Party (UNP) MP Buddhika Pathirane who charged that the six tanks lying within the area demarcated for the proposed sports village would cease to exist once the village was set up.

Mr. Pathirana asked what steps would be taken by the government to compensate the farmers who cultivated their lands with the water from these tanks.

The Minister said these farmers would be provided with irrigation water facilities.
“We cannot bring water for these lands from Matara which you represent,” the minister told Mr. Pathirane who argued that the livelihood of these farmers was at stake if this proposed sports village was set up. (Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera)


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  Comments - 21

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  • Dalu Banda Friday, 09 December 2011 06:13 AM

    willows we have the play boys here, we should convert minimum1% of land as play grounds and other facilities.

    Rohan Friday, 09 December 2011 06:14 PM

    Gosl built a hugh cricket stadium in Hambantota just to play one single world cup match, and as a result the whole cricket board went bankrupt,The players were not paid, and we still owe china a hugh sum. While most of the people are living with one meal a day and most of them looks skeleton, govt. want to show the fake face to the world. This may be another mega commission scam with the country going into more debt. Everything from beginning to end is a scam.....a fake scam. Both cricketers and people need first to eat nutrition food to play and work, and not to give proformance enhancement drugs to win games. At the moment we have enough and more stadiums.Build more tanks to preserve water to face future water crisis.

    gune Friday, 09 December 2011 02:56 PM

    anyone who is talking above ,do they know what are those tanks ?? have they seen them ??

    silva Friday, 09 December 2011 12:40 PM

    Then why are 60% of the population engaged in agriculture, donkey ?

    Man B Friday, 09 December 2011 12:17 PM

    warning to Sinhala people, these are not development.

    Mervyn Friday, 09 December 2011 11:55 AM

    It is the prime responsibility of the Govt. to support the farmer population even by creating some more water reservoirs instead of closing the available. This is a crime irrespective who does it. It depicts that some the parliamentarians who are elected to are there just because of their money power and the number of thugs they have and not because of their education. If this man have at least completed GCE (O) level then he will never thing of erecting a sports village closing water reservoirs.
    This mere stupidity who are sitting on their under developed BRAIN. I wish that the intelligent among the other minister will never allow this project to see the light at this location.

    sam Friday, 09 December 2011 11:33 AM

    i would like to propose a different solution to it.why don not any one think that they can add value to that sports village as a greener concept.They can make it more attractive and nicer and include those tanks for beauty and for water sports based activities and leisure activities.so every one can make use of this beautiful environment. i dont know about how it supplies water to these tanks but what i know is that they can create canals connecting all the resorptive and use it for leisure activities.boat service ,gondolas and etc.
    i am not a architecture or a planner.i supose that the government has all the resouces to plan and develop it well.
    who ever who reads this i ask you one thing.convey this message to the top ranking officials.
    Thank you

    Kangarro Friday, 09 December 2011 10:54 AM

    We are like this in a bad situation because of ppl like u

    ampare son Friday, 09 December 2011 09:33 AM

    sri lanka dont have commercial agriculture industry.

    prem Friday, 09 December 2011 09:05 AM

    If the land to be utilised for playground what is the irrigation we are talking about.

    Sri Lankan Friday, 09 December 2011 08:50 AM

    What else can you expect from these stupid bunch of jokers.

    siribiris Friday, 09 December 2011 02:06 AM

    suba anagathyak

    A W Abdulkany Friday, 09 December 2011 06:12 AM

    Ah, another bright idea - sports village in Suriyawewea.
    We are a tank building nations. priority should be given to
    paddy and other cash crop cultivation. What will happen to the 'Api Wawamu Slogan". We are going to face food scarcity in the near future. Minister of Sports, please recsonder your decision. it's a crime to close tanks - the sustenance of our nation.

    Student Friday, 09 December 2011 05:57 AM

    Oh they are not sensitive to People’s Feelings but
    Very Very Sensitive to Money and how to make it
    At any means.

    The People are to be blamed for sending the Irresponsible People to Parliment and the Relevent party irresponsible for nominating these irresponsible people for Nomination.

    So in the end the People are responsible for all these.

    Wasantha Friday, 09 December 2011 05:54 AM

    Once they were bidding to get rights to hold CWG in this area.After failling that ,they were telling that they will continue building the sites planned for it.Now again another says that by doing so it will ruin all lakes and irrigation system.Why not plan whatever they do taking to consideration all these?Why Chamal says this now and not then?Atleast get together now ,plan all developments properly and implement them accordingly.Now we do not have a war !!!! Do not forget it.

    Jamis Banda Friday, 09 December 2011 04:50 AM

    Ane apoi ! If putting up buildings makes a country a miracle, there are many more countries who are far ahead of us. On contrary, look at the harm to the nature, impact on Elephant and other wild life habitat (there will be many more Human-Elephant conflicts with their water sources reduced).

    willows Friday, 09 December 2011 04:41 AM

    what a stupid idea to get rid of water tanks and fill for play grounds?????

    ariya Friday, 09 December 2011 04:22 AM

    I totally agree with Hon. Speaker and under no circumstances Sri Lanka should sacrifice Agriculture to any other development.
    Foundation of our economy should be agriculture being such a fertile country.

    Unfortunately very few politicians have realized this.

    confused

    sltk2004 Friday, 09 December 2011 03:54 AM

    Don't listen to the conspirators who are trying to bring down the government. Go ahead with the sports village project. This is the way to the miracle of Asia...

    Nodrog Friday, 09 December 2011 03:26 AM

    PM wants us to stop imports of wheat flour and fruits and grow more paddy for rice flour and our own fruits. Sports Minister, on the other hand, filling up irrigation tanks!

    Kornelius John Friday, 09 December 2011 02:04 AM

    by the people, for the people!


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