Whilst the insufficiency of development in the North continues to be documented by the UN, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was taken on a tour of the southeast to inspect development in the region. The tour included two main reservoirs and ended with a visit to one of the holiest Buddhist temples, the Deegawapi temple, located in the Ampara District of the Eastern province.
The Deegawapi temple and surrounding area has been renovated at a cost of 250 million rupees, with a further 400 million rupees allocated for renovation. Rajapaksa instructed officials that the premises of Deegawapi was sacred and that the legal rights of the land belong to the temple.
The president took the time to walk through the town of Embilipitiya to meet residents and get an idea of their problems and asses the effectiveness of redevelopment in the town.
The President ended his tour at a ruling party UPFA (United People Freedom Alliance) rally, where he told the crowd that the government was “committed to steer the country towards development while maintaining lasting peace and harmony in the island and will not allow any unscrupulous elements attempting to disrupt peace in the country by arousing communal hatred in the society.”
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