BE WATCHFUL ABOUT WORK ON DEVELOPMENT TOO : MR

President Mahinda Rajapaksa called on the people to be vigilant in respect of development activities as it was difficult to curtail corruption and malpractice in those activities despite efforts made by the government.

Addressing a group of journalists at President’s House in Kandy on Saturday the President recalled the people’s committees that were functioning when he was a young Parliamentarian and said members of those committees were vigilant on local development activities.

He regretted that people today were not so serious and were concerned about corruption and malpractices taking place in local development activities as members of the people’s committees did in the past.

He said huge garbage mountains on the bank of the Mahawe- li Ganga in Gampola was a threat to the health of the people downstream as the garbage was prone to be washed into the river.

Responding to a representation made by journalists on the lack of sports training facilities in Kandy, Mr. Rajapaksa said discussions were underway to provide training facilities for local sportsmen and school chil- dren at a reasonable fee at the Bogambara grounds which had been developed with a massive amount of money.

“An arts theatre in line with the Nelum Pokuna in Colombo is to be built in Kandy on the land where the Municipal Car Park is presently situated” the President said in response to another question.

President recalled the people’s committees that were functioning when he was a young MP and said members of those committees were vigilant on local development activities