POLITICIANS GEARING UP FOR FILLING GAME
Irrigation facilities fall short of the needs of paddy cultivators in the Udugampola agrarian services area who are unable to cultivate over 1000 acres of paddy. These farmers said that this vast tract of paddy land had been abandoned for more than 12 years despite their representations to authorities to provide irrigation facilities.
A paddy cultivator of Kotugoda, M.A.Wimalaratne said they cultivated the Batapotha tract of paddy in Yala and Maha
A vast tract of paddy land at Batapotha had been abandoned for more than 12 years owing to insufficient irrigation facilities
without a problem until the main anicut in the Attanagalu Oya and the irrigation canal broke down. “The majority of the people in the area are paddy cultivators. They lived a contented life by cultivating their fields in both Yala and Maha seasons. However they lost their livelihood after the break down of the irrigation canal and the anicut. We ad- vised irrigation officers on how to restore the canal and the anicut to allow the free flow of water from Attanagalu Oya , but they did not accept our views. Now most of the farmers have abandoned paddy cultivation and taken to manual labour at worksites to make a living. Meanwhile politicians are planning to fill our paddy fields and to use them for other purposes. ”