Matale District MP Rohini Kaviratne says this year’s budget merely reintroduces development projects launched under the previous good governance administration, warning that allocations are too small to make a real impact.
Matale District Member of Parliament Rohini Kaviratne has issued a strong statement asserting that all budget proposals related to her district in this year’s national budget are not new initiatives, but rather projects that were originally launched by the previous United National Party-led good governance government. She claimed that the government has failed to introduce any new proposals for the district and is instead rebranding old plans with limited funding and reduced scope.
In her statement, Kaviratne explained that the Matale City Access Development Program, now being presented as a new project, was first introduced in 2016 during the Yahapalana administration. The original plan aimed to expand city access roads into four lanes and develop an alternative route to ease traffic congestion in the heart of Matale. She noted that Matale was among the top districts in Sri Lanka for community development spending under the good governance government, and that all major groundwork for the city’s development was already completed by 2019.
According to Kaviratne, the government has now allocated only a fraction of the original budgeted funds for these projects, reducing the scale and ambition of the original proposal. She criticized the decision to implement just one-sixth of the original Matale City Development Project, warning that the amount set aside this year would not even cover five percent of the compensation required for properties affected by the project.
Kaviratne emphasized that the true intention of the initial Yahapalana proposal was not to demolish existing city shops or widen roads unnecessarily, but to build a modern alternative access network with four key entry routes around the city. She said the proposal had been revisited in 2018 with greater emphasis on preserving the commercial identity of Matale while improving transport efficiency.
The MP further highlighted that during her tenure, road development work across the Laggala electorate had been completed, including the carpeting of all national highways by 2020. She accused the present administration of taking credit for those projects while providing only minimal new funding. Kaviratne also noted that compensation for the Naula section of the nine-lane road remains incomplete, reflecting the government’s lack of follow-through on commitments already made.
She also addressed the proposal to acquire land for the Kurunegala-Dambulla Expressway, pointing out that it too originated under the Yahapalana government. Kaviratne expressed her gratitude to former Road Development Authority Chairman Nihal Suriarachchi for formalizing the expressway section plans and advancing work that has now been repackaged in the new budget.
Kaviratne recalled how she had worked to secure funding for road development in Matale under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) project. She lamented that the MCC program was abandoned due to political opposition and conspiracy theories labeling it an attempt to divide the country. She argued that rejecting the MCC project cost the region valuable opportunities for modern infrastructure development and connectivity.
Turning to the health sector, Kaviratne said that even the Dambulla Hospital Development Project was a continuation of an initiative from the good governance era. She reminded that the groundwork was carried out under then Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and credited Janaka Tennakoon for his consistent support across party lines. She criticized the current government for allocating only Rs. 50 crores to the Dambulla Hospital and Rs. 100 crores for both Dambulla and Deniyaya hospitals combined, saying such amounts are insufficient even to construct a single hospital ward.
The MP also voiced concern over the downgrading of the Laggala Hospital, which she said had been fully equipped and designated as a basic hospital by 2019. She added that the hospital had been built with comprehensive government support during her time, but the current administration recently reduced it to ‘C’ grade status.
Highlighting the growing shortage of medicines across the Central Province, Kaviratne urged the government to prioritize essential medical supplies over superficial development announcements. She called for immediate attention to hospital resources and medicine distribution, warning that the healthcare system is nearing a breaking point.
In conclusion, Kaviratne said that while it is encouraging to see the current government continuing projects started by the good governance administration, it is misleading to present them as new budget proposals. She reiterated that the Matale District deserves transparency, fair compensation, and adequate funding rather than recycled promises.
