For the people forgotten by politicians, development projects are mere words

COLOMBO (News 1st) - In a time where the money is being spent lavishly on unsound development projects the people in rural Sri Lanka who have never seen a glimpse of development spoke to the Gammadda team, and told us of their hardships. The Gammadda teams visited the districts of Puttlam, Killinochchi, and Badulla today (August 07). One of the Gammadda teams set out in search of the issues faced by the people in the Puttlam district that have gone unnoticed by irresponsible authorities. The livelihood of residents of Kalpitiya, Wellankare, Redbana, and Diyasenpura is centred around agriculture. They suffer immensely with a lack of water for agriculture and no market price for their produce. Gammadda teams met people who are threatened daily by wild elephants that encroach on their villages in the Dambagolla area in Badulla district. The human-elephant conflict in their region has reached new heights. The Gammadda team visited the residence of late J.M. Shalika, a young girl who lost her life after being attacked by a wild elephant recently. The Gammadda teams also visited the villages of Mahiyanganaya, Galporuwa, and Bariyal Handiya. The people who are scorched by the heat of the sun are deprived of clean drinking water to quench their thirst. "Give us some water to drink" was the only request on the lips of the residents. The Gammadda teams also visited the villages of Pachchelai, Archinagar, Iyakachchi and Muhamalai.