Uva Paranagama residents lament stalled construction of road

COLOMBO (News1st): At a time where numerous constructions are taking place centering the rural roads, News1st received reports where certain authorities have turned a blind eye on some parts of the island. The road connecting Uduhaawara and Koredhekumbura in Uva-Paranagama is one such example, where only three buses operate under tremendous hardships . The drivers complain of multiple damages caused to their vehicles due to the dilapidated road. ''We have not seen re-construction of the road for over 2 years, we travel in hazardous conditions everyday, please rebuild our road'' one local said. It was way back in 2018, when a decision was taken to carpet the road under a program implemented by the Ministry of Highways and Road Development with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank. A staggering Rs.116 Mn had been allocated for the construction and the foundation stone was laid in July 2018. Although work was scheduled to be completed in July this year, residents grieve that there is no sign of development. When News 1st inquired about this matter from the project engineer, he said the delay in the construction of this particular road is because there are a total of 17 roads to be reconstructed under the relevant project. We continued to report on a number of development projects in a standstill at the Uva Paranagama area. On top of this issue, locals have been battered with unimaginable hardships for years due to a number of problems including, ramshackled bridges and a severe water crisis . Shouldn't those responsible pay attention to the problems of the people of Uva Paranagama immediately?