Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said the government has ended the era in which extortions were collected from porters and labourers who are working in Pettah under the cover of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s battalion.
“We ended the era in which stalls at public markets were sold to their goons. Stalls are today provided for those who really need them, he said
Minister Ranawaka was speaking at the first May Day rally organised by the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) in Pettah yesterday.
He said he is committed to build the city in a formal manner again. “This city area was rescued from gangsters and thugs and converted to a formidable township by labour leaders such as A.E. Goonesinha, Anagarika Dharmapala, and former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. We are committed to develop the area further,” he said.
The Minister placed floral tributes at the A.E. Goonesinha statue. Parliamentary Reforms and Media Deputy Minister Karunarathna Paranawithana, JHU National Organiser Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe, and Sri Lanka Labour Party leader Vijitha Kadiragonna were present.