Katuwana village moves at a faster pace
Villagers donate land for govt. buildings
Text & Pix by Rekha Tharangani he Ministry of Energy and Renewable Energy yesterday established a three member committee to look into issues of carpenters in Moratuwa following protests by carpenters earlier this week.
Carpenters from Moratuwa put for ward 10 demands during discussions held at the Ministry between the Ministry officials, the Environmental Department and the Moratuwa Municipal Council (MMC) on Thursday.
The t hree member committee consisting of officials from t he Environmental and Renewable Energy Ministry, Environment Department and the State Timber Corporation (STC), will look into the demands put forward by the carpenters and also dig up circulars that have been issued
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Lack of land and administrative buildings provided by the government have prompted locals to donate land to house all grass root level administrative buildings in Katuwana, Homagama.
The Grama Sevaka office, Samurdhi Niladhari office and the Agrarian office have been housed in the same land provided by the village.
The owner of the land Nishantha Nihal Perera said they only wanted the administrative buildings set up in the village, to have a smooth workload. “We didn’t want to wait until the government passed the money and constructed the buildings, which would otherwise have taken a few years and we would not have been able to finish our work,” he said.
He said the land had belonged to several members in his family and was an abandoned paddy land that was no longer cultivated. “So we changed the deed and ensured one person had no but not implemented with regard to carpentry.
Earlier this week carpenters in the area staged a protest demanding changes to uplift the dying industry. They demanded a 30 percent relief when obtaining permits from the Government instead of the present relief of 20 percent.
The group also demanded that import tax for furniture and plastic be increased, as imported furniture was hindering business in the area and the tax levied for plastic would also be environment friendly.
They said, at least three carpenters knowledgeable in timber, should be appointed to the STC board.
“We buy close to 80 percent of the STC’s timber and therefore at least three carpenters should be appointed to the board,” they said.
In a bid to keep the
indigenous nature of carpentry in Moratuwa, the carpenters requested that transport permits for furniture be provided to restrict the transport of furniture to Moratuwa from other parts of the country.
The Minister for Environment and Renewable E n e r g y, Susil Premajayantha promised to provide each carpenter with 25 cubic feet of free timber. control over the land,” Perera said.
The area was not only being used for administrative purposes but also as a place of worship. “During the full moon poya days we invite the monks for special programmes,” Perera said.
Meanwhile, the Gramaseva Niladhari Rathnasiri Thalakotana said the building was built within a year. “If we had waited for the government to provide us with the necessary funds we would have had to wait longer,” he said.
“We have also taken measures to plant ayurvedic and other medicinal plants for the villagers,” he said.