Agriculture is the foundation which strengthens national economy – President

President Maithripala Sirisena says since the reigns of kings of ancient Sri Lanka the economy of the country was strengthened subject to the field of agriculture and it is the foundation which makes strong in the past, the present as well as in future.

The President made these remarks participating in the water filling ceremony of Kalu Ganga under the Moragahakanda- Kalu Ganga Multi-purpose Development Project and the commencement of the construction of the second stage of the Upper Elahera Canal, Kaluganga-Moragahakanda Transfer Canal/Tunnel, which is the longest tunnel in the South Asia, today (23).

Expressing his views the President further said that the Moragahakanda-Kalu Ganga development project will become a turning point for the national economy of the country, stated the President’s Media Division

Under this project 2400 irrigation tanks will be renovated, the President said and added that this project will be the biggest development project implemented in the country after the era of ancient kings to build the future of the nation and the agro economy of the country.

President Sirisena further said that individuals who are attempting to provide ownership to this mega development project, which ended the sorrowful stories of the Rajarata people, did not take the necessary steps to implement this project and recalled how even the name of the project was not included in the document of the Foreign Resources Department of the Finance Ministry to obtain foreign loans for the project which commenced in 2007.

The President said that the day Moragahakanda water was released fulfilling his 27 yearlong dream was the happiest day of his life.

President Sirisena expressed his happiness over implementing this project without any fraud, corruption and malpractices and requested the farming community to inform him personally if there any issues arise regarding the quality of the project construction works or if there is any fraud or corruption. He said that any charge of corruption would be investigated and ensures most severe punishment to the perpetrators.

President who said that it is scheduled to introduce a specific unit through media composed of a special phone number and a fax number enabling to make every inquiry through that to him in any case if it is revealed that a politician, government officer or a contract organization is connected to bribery or fraud neither of these parties be forgiven by him.

The Kaluganga reservoir is created being crossed from Laggala-Pallegama area from the Kalupahana border of the Knuckles mountain range belonging to the Dumbara valley of Matale district.

The complete velocity of it is 248 lacks in cubic meters which is 200,880 acres in feet. The length of the main dam is 618 meters in length where the height is 68 in meters. The range of the peak of the dam is 8 meters. The other saddle dam is being built in the right side of the reservoir where the length of it is 28 meters and the height is 719.the water bed is 128k.m in cubic meters where the capacity of the reservoir is 14.5 cubic meters.

The water filling ceremony of the reservoir took place under the President’s patronage amidst the chanting of the seth pirith by the Mahasangha near the Laggala-Kalugaga dam.

In a moment where the dream of the President Maithripala Sirisena on behalf of the people of Rajarata for more than 27 years is coming true the first step taken by the President was unveiling the shrine of Lord Buddha’s statue 27 meters in height.

The President who unveiled the statue of Lord Buddha offered flowers to the statue amidst of chanting the Pirith by Mahasangha.

Ven.Aliyawale Vipulasara Thero was given the in charge of the Buddha statue by the President.

An amount of 25 MW electric current   is generated by the Moragahkanda-Kalugaga project to the national electricity. This historical moment was also marked by the President.

The President also joined to observe the longest tunnel of South Asia which is the Ela hara Ela tunnel.  The cost of construction of this cannel which is   96 km in length is Rs.67000 in lacks. The rest of the construction was also initiated by the President.

The special event of naming the Moragahakanda resoivair as Kulasighe reservoir also took place. Dr. A.N.S. Kulasighe was a great engineer who lived where President Maithripala Sirisena did a fundamental research about the construction of the Mahaweli resoivair as the Minister of Mahaweli development with him.the place where the dam of the Moragahaknda resoivair to be built was determined within those researches.

It is taken steps to name the Morgahakanda reservoir as the Kulasinghe reservoir in memory of Dr. A.N.S. Kulasinghe who was a well renowned engineer in the country.

The newspaper Mahaweli Mehewara was also presented to the President.

The Maha Sangha including other religious leaders, the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera,Mahinda Amaraweera, Ranjith Siyabalapitiya,John Amarathunga,Mahinda Samarasinghe, State Minister Weerakumara Dissanayake, State Minister Palitha Range Bandara, Deputy Minister Indika Bandaranayake, governors, diplomats, dignitaries, Secretary to the  Ministry of Mahaweli Development Anura Dissanayake, Director General of the Mahaweli Authority Sarath Chandrasiri Vithana and others participated on this occasion.