Minister and state minister on collison course over Badulla roads

A heated exchange of words took place between Highways Minister Bandula Gunawardana and Primary Industries State Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake during the Badulla District Coordination Committee meeting at the Badulla District Secretariat.

The meeting, which was attended by Minister Gunawardana and MPs from the district, grew into a heated debate over the development of roads in the district. Mr. Dassanayake claimed he had spoken to an official about the stalled development of several roads in Badulla. Mr. Gunawardana responded that instead of speaking to officials, the State Minister should have directly reached out to him (the minister) and he could have convened a meeting of the relevant officials to ask what the problem was.

Mr. Dassanayake, who is known for his quick temper, responded angrily, saying that despite being the district most affected by landslides, it was being given stepmotherly treatment in comparison to other districts when it came to allocations and agreements for road development. He insisted that the district be given more priority by the government.

Minister Gunawardana shot back, saying that the Treasury did not have such funds to release even if everyone in the room stood on their heads to demand it.

State Minister Dassanayake responded, saying things were being unevenly distributed depending on who held the presidency. “When a president is elected from Polonnaruwa, a lot of development happens there. It is the same when one is elected from Hambantota and also from Gampaha,” he said. The references were clear as clear can be.