ISSUES DUE TO IMPRUDENT DECISIONS OF PREVIOUS REGIME: dayasiri:
A ministerial subcommittee has been appointed to look into the issues that have arisen from the Uma Oya project in Baddulla district, Co- Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara said. The subcommittee includes Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera, Patali Champika Ranawaka and Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa.
Jayasekara was speaking at the Cabinet press briefing held at the Government Information Department yesterday.
He said Ministers Harin Fernando and Nimal Siripala de Silva, who represent the Badulla district have extensively spoken to the Cabinet regarding the Uma Oya issue. “This project was initiated by the previous regime.Sri Lanka has taken a large volume of debts from Iran to this project as well.We need to pay these debts too.We cannot give up on this project, but it is problematic to continue with it as well,” Jayasekara said. Minister Jayasekara said the Uma Oya project was started without following proper criteria. “They should have considered that the project is situated in a densely populated area.These matters should have been asked then, not now.”
Jayasekara also pointed out the adverse environmental conditions arising due to the project is mainly based on the machines employed for the project.
“These machines are normally used in desert climates.When such mining is done, a drop in water level is unavoidable. According to the experts, it takes about two years to get the water levels back to normal,” he said. Minister Jayasekara said, however much demanding the situation would be, the government will stand with the public and take decisions regarding the project for the best interest of the people.