People crossing Loggalla Oya in ferry exposed to danger of drowning
PS Chairman blames previous regimes for inaction
The unfortunate people who had to face this ordeal were from the villages of Balagolla, Undugoda and Devatagolla
The villagers said that the people belonging to about thousand families including their school-going children are compelled to cross Loggalla-oya in a damaged ferry exposing themselves to imminent danger of death.
The unfortunate people who had to face this ordeal were from the villages of Balagolla, Undugoda and Devatagolla that comes under the secretariats of Meegahakivuila and Rideemahaliyadda.
In spite of the fact that the people had requested from every successive government to build a bridge across this river, it has not been fulfilled so far and hence they were compelled to travel across the river in the vulnerable ferry exposing themselves to danger..
The villagers say that the children in Undugoda, Medayaya, Devatagolla villages within the Rideemahaliyadda Divisional Secretariat went to the schools in Meegahakivula and Balagolla because they did not have a school in their villages.
Although the students and the villagers used a damaged ferry that was used for sand mining to cross the river, the people said that the ferry became dangerous when the inflated tubes become damaged. They said that some of the people had died as a result of the ferry capsizing on several occasions.
The people say that they had to travel about 10 kilometres if they did not go across this Oya.
When Meegahakivula
Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman, Lalith Jayewardene was queried on the matter,. he said that several proposals had been put forward to the previous governments for the construction of a bridge across this river, but it had proved futile. He also said that this proposal has been forwarded to the present government and said that every effort was being taken to build a bridge across the river in the future.