Chamal Rajapaksa, Minister of Irrigation and State Minister of Defense, Home Affairs and Disaster Management has said that it is very important for Members of Parliament to understand their responsibilities, duties and limitations and that Ranjan Ramanayake has been imprisoned for going beyond his limits.
He said that during his 35 years of parliamentary career, he had never interfered in the affairs of the judiciary and that those who committed such offenses should be punished.
He was speaking to the media after a meeting of the Rural Infrastructure Development Committee held at the Kandy District Secretariat yesterday (12).
He also said that just being a Member of Parliament does not mean that one can insult the judiciary.
He further stated that Mr. S.B Dissanayake had previously been imprisoned for contempt of court.
Chamal Rajapaksa, Minister of Irrigation, State Minister of Defense, Home Affairs and Disaster Management says that a program will be launched to rehabilitate all tanks in the country.
The Minister said that these tanks will be rehabilitated to cover every village irrespective of major irrigation, minor irrigation or provincial councils and that committees have been appointed to coordinate the process.
The Minister said that the use of local funds and local knowledge will be given priority in the reconstruction of tanks and its inauguration will take place on the 4th of February this year covering all the Divisional Secretariats.
Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said that the expected development work would not be carried out due to unauthorized activities such as sand mining, logging and gem mining by private contractors who would take over the reconstruction of the tanks. Mr. stated.
Lalith u Gamage, Governor, Central Province, Wasantha Yapa Bandara, Chairman, Kandy District Coordinating Committee, Anuradha Jayaratne, Minister of State for Rural Paddy and Associated Tanks, Reservoirs and Irrigation Development, Mahaweli Zonal Associations Siripala Gamlath, State Minister of Public Infrastructure Development, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, State Minister of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal and Sanitation, Chandana Tennakoon, District Secretary, Kandy and other public representatives and officials were present.