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UPFA candidate Wimal Weerawansa, UPFA Media Committee Chairman Dilan Perera and former UPFA MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara at the media briefing – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara
By Chamodi Gunawardana
The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) yesterday charged that the United National Party (UNP) Government intended to tax the usage of the country’s natural water resources.
Referring to a Cabinet paper passed recently relating to the Water Act, UPFA Colombo District Candidate Wimal Weerawansa charged that this Cabinet paper was passed neglecting the research report submitted by the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry.
“Minister of Urban Development, Water Supply and Drainage Rauff Hakeem submitted this Water Act Cabinet Paper No. 15/0483/614/009 on 28 March. We believe that this proposal should be submitted by the related Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management. A research report drafted by that Ministry had said that this Water Act proposal should not be implemented. However Hakeem has passed it, ignoring the research report,” Weerawansa alleged.
He accused the UNP Government of wanting to sell Sri Lanka’s natural water resources to multinational companies for commercial gain.
Commenting further on the Water Act, Weerawansa noted that after the implementation of this Act, famers would have to pay taxes for the water they use for cultivation.
“The UNP expects to establish a new authority in charge of water resources and intend to tax all water usage, including that of farmers, who will have to pay taxes for their usage of water. This will be Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s next robbery,” Weerawansa claimed.
UPFA Media Committee Chairman and former Minister Dilan Perera charged that the UNP Government would be violating Islamic beliefs by exhuming the body of former Havelock Rugby Captain Wasim Thajudeen.
“Thajudeen’s body will be exhumed on next Monday and we believe that it would be a big insult to the Islamic religion. His family members are opposed to exhuming the body due to their religious beliefs. However, the UNP Government is trying to exploit this incident to spread propaganda about former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s family,” Perera claimed.
UPFA member and former MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara yesterday charged that the real culprit responsible for the Batalanda detention centre incident had tried to quieten the witnesses of the case by killing them.
“One key witness of the Batalanda Commission Report investigations was killed by an unknown shooter before his statement. That witness had been ready to reveal the name of the main political leader who was involved with that case. I would like to remind voters that the political leader is still alive,” Nanayakkara asserted.
