History

A little bit of the history of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha…

The area, which consisted of the five Koralas of Thiragamadaha East Korala, Thiragamadaha West Korala, Mahagalboda Megoda Korala, Kudagalboda Korala, Wellawa Korala and three Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Kurunegala, Mallawapitiya and Maspotha, was established as the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha area in accordance with the Pradeshiya Sabha Act No. 15 of 1987. The Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha, which was established on 1.01.1988, was headed by the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha, R. W. S. Weerasinghe, the Divisional Secretary of Kurunegala, as a Special Commissioner. Initially, three clerks, a revenue administrator, a technical officer, an office assistant and a watchman served as seven employees. The Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha established sub-offices in Kudagalgamuwa, Thiragamadahaya East and Wellawa.

Mr. Chandradasa Godigamuwa was appointed as the first Chairman of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha, which consisted of twenty-two members, on 15 April 1991, and he represented the United National Party and served as the Chairman until 14 April 1997. The second term of the Pradeshiya Sabha began on 15 April 1997 and Mr. Patrick Karunasinghe, representing the Podujana Eksath Peramuna, served as the Chairman until 14 April 2002. The third term of the Pradeshiya Sabha began on 15 April 2002 and Mr. Chandradasa Godigamuwa, representing the United National Party, was re-elected as the Chairman. The third term of the Pradeshiya Sabha ended on 14 April 2006, and the fourth term of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha began on 15 April 2006. Patrick Karunasinghe, representing the United People’s Freedom Alliance, who was re-elected as the Chairman of the Fourth Council, served as the Chairman.

Another important event in the history of our Pradeshiya Sabha can be noted on June 9, 2007. On that day, the Pradeshiya Sabha Kala Mahotsava was held with the participation of a group of about thirty Vedas, led by the current tribal leader Uruwarige Vanniyalatho.

The year 2008 was also a year of great efficiency for the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha. In addition to the public services and daily duties carried out in the year 2008, among the very special events that brought great pride to the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha, one can recall the 60th Independence Day of Sri Lanka. On that day, the Udadigana Independence Day Children’s Park built for the children of the nation was handed over to the children. The reception ceremony for renowned South Indian artists under the Inter-Provincial Art Exchange Program was held on 25th March 2008.

The felicitation ceremony for the elders in the Pradeshiya Sabha area was held on the International Elders Day, 1st October 2008, in a grand manner. The nation’s tribute was paid to the elders, and over 700 elders participated in the event.

The pre-school built in the Gonne area was handed over to the children on 2008.10.06. Another special event in the history of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha is the visit to India on 2008.10.09 with the Honorable Chairman, Honorable Vice Chairman, Honorable Leader of the Opposition, the Council of Ministers and the Secretary. This group engaged in a study tour in the city of Mumbai, India.

The year 2009 is a very important and historic year for our Pradeshiya Sabha as well as for the whole of Sri Lanka. That is, the liberation of the motherland from the brutal war that gripped the entire country for thirty years. That was the 18th day of May 2009. Our area as well as the whole of Sri Lanka celebrated this historic victory day. The Honorable Chairman Deshabandu Patrick Karunasinghe, the Honorable Members of Parliament, the Secretary and the entire staff, along with all the people of the area, Sinhalese, Tamils ​​and Muslims, celebrated the victory by eating delicious milk rice.

The Honorable Deputy Chairman of our Pradeshiya Sabha, Mr. Asanka Navaratne, who contested the North Western Provincial Council election held in February 2009, was elected to the North Western Provincial Council. Therefore, the appointment of Hon. Member Deepal Herath to the vacant post of Deputy Chairman is also special. Similarly, due to the election of Mr. Asanka Navaratne to the Provincial Council, Mr. Nalinda Jayasena was elected to the vacant post of Member.

The people of our Pradeshiya Sabha area were able to carry out many special missions in the year 2009. Among them, the fact that we were able to initiate six water projects for the Pellandeniya, Gurulepola, Bodhigama, Kudumbawa, Hewapola, and Werawella areas under the Community Water Supply Project can be considered a special act. Being able to provide water, which is a basic need of the people, in this way is a social service. In addition, the construction work of the Matawa Community Hall and the Saragama Library was largely completed. Moreover, the fact that we were able to prepare a strong road system spread throughout the area can be considered a special mission for the people.

It is also extremely important for our Pradeshiya Sabha to appoint Hon. Chairman Patrick Karunasinghe as the National Organizer of the All Ceylon Pradeshiya Sabha Chairpersons’ Conference in order to ensure that the special contribution of the Hon. Chairman, who is leading all these activities, is made available to the entire Sri Lanka.

In the year 2010, many community services were carried out for the welfare of the people of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha area, and a two-storey community hall was constructed in the Matawa area at a cost of about Rs. 3.2 million, and a community hall was constructed for the people of the Eliwalathenna area at a cost of about Rs. 3.3 million. In the year 2010, the position of D. G. Punchihewa of the United National Party in the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha was abolished and Mr. Premikiyas was appointed as a new member in his place.

The year 2011 was a very important year for the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha. Mr. Deshabandu Patrick Karunasinghe was elected as the Honorary Chairman of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha for the third time after securing the highest number of preferential votes in the constituency in the election held in March 2011. Mr. Achala Nimantha Wickramathilaka, who was elected as a new member, was elected as the Vice Chairman. The Honorary Members of the previous council were Vijithalal Premathilaka, K. A. Padmachandra, W. R. A. R. Dominic Ranasinghe, W. Rohana Pushpakumara, S. T. P. Sisira Kumara, K. K. D. Nalinda Jayasena, Asanka Pradeepa Ranasinghe, G. Sisira Senaratne, Ajith Priyalal Warnasuriya, Chandradasa Godigamuwa, S. A. U. Premikias, Dharmapriya Dissanayake were re-elected as Honorary Members, while Ranil Sanjaya Silva, Anul Kumara Wijesiri, Anura Kumara Arambepola, Chaminda Somaratne, Mahinda Wijenayake, Thilina Dhanushka Ekanayake, Nandana Balasuriya, Sanjaya Athugala were elected as new members to the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha in 2011.

The Council of Ministers including the Honorable Chairman Deshabandu Patrick Karunasinghe and the Secretary Mrs. D. D. Wickramasinghe and the staff have appointed the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha as an institution that provides excellent service to the people of the area. Accordingly, the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha has become one of the leading local government institutions in the North Western Province. This is clearly reflected in the performance competition held among the North Western Local Government Institutions in the year 2011. In that competition, the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha came second in the North Western Province.

Another achievement we achieved was to be able to join the island-wide project “Developing good attitudes in the Sri Lankan society for a superior society with economic development” under the leadership of Rev. Sujeewa Thisera at the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha on 05th August 2011, as part of a concept of the Hon. Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mr. D. M. Jayaratne. Because through that program, the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha staff was able to undergo an attitudinal change. Furthermore, on 30th August 2012, under the leadership of the same Rev. Sujeewa Thisera, the North Western Province was honored by being able to conduct the same program for the North Western Local Government Institutions in collaboration with the Chief Ministry of the North Western Province and the North Western Local Government Department. Because in the performance competition for the year 2012, the Northwestern Province was the owner of all the leading positions in the entire country of Sri Lanka.

Under the leadership and guidance of the Honorable Chairman Deshabandu Patrick Karunasinghe, the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha was able to perform a proud and excellent public service with limited resources in the year 2012. As a result, in the performance competition held in the year 2012, it came second in the North Western Province by a margin of 4.5 points and second in the whole country by a margin of 2.5 points, and received the Swarnapurawara Award. Honorable Chairman Deshabandu Patrick Karunasinghe and Secretary Mrs. D. D. Wickramasinghe visited Vietnam from 2012.08.08 to 2012.08.16, and by accumulating the experiences gained there, they entered the year 2013 with the determination to make the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha the best local government institution in Sri Lanka.

The excellent experiences gained through the visit to Indonesia by the Hon. Chairman, the Council of Ministers and the Secretary in February 2013 and the experiences gained through the Canton Trade Fair in China held by the Hon. Chairman in October 2013 were used to bring the functions of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha to an optimum level. With the generous support of the Ministry of Public Management Reforms, the program “For Excellence in Public Service – Developing Public Institutions in Kurunegala District as Model Offices” was launched in July. Through this, the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha was operated under two divisions namely the Front Office and the Back Office. The functions of the public in the area were carried out only through the Front Office, while the institutional functions were carried out through the Back Office. This office system is still being implemented in our institution, and it is a special achievement for us to be able to provide a productive and quality service to the public in the area.

One of the special occasions was the implementation of the “Meddegama Vesak Zone” and the sponsorship of the “Gamatamayathala” program in May and December 2013, regardless of race, religion, caste, or creed. Another special occasion was the holding of the “2013 Rosary Rally” in Maligapitiya, Kurunegala and the selection of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha to provide the facilities for it.

Mr. Dinesh Hewawasam Jayasundara was elected to fill the vacancy left by Mr. Nandana Balasuriya in 2014. The experience gained in disaster management during the visit to Thailand by the Honorable Chairman, Honorable Members and the Secretary in 2014 enabled everyone to successfully face the subsequent disasters that occurred in the Kurunegala area. The awareness of the members of the area about the measures to be taken in those disasters was also a reason why no loss of life was reported in the disaster situation.

Furthermore, through the provision of material assistance related to the toilet project, it was possible to improve the health and hygiene of several families without toilets, and it was possible to carry out numerous programs related to the prevention of epidemic diseases such as dengue/jaundice/bee fever, which were rapidly spreading throughout the jurisdiction, and it was possible to carry out urban cleanliness programs, thereby improving the health status of the people in the jurisdiction.

Also, by conducting drug prevention programs in several selected locations, educating the youth about youth, creating a change in the attitude of the youth in the area, and by conducting a parent-child pilgrimage program on the occasion of World Children’s/Elderly Day, the current generation was able to learn the values ​​that are being lost from society, and the efforts made to build a society that the future generation can live in have been successful to date.

The development of the Wewagedara Children’s Park owned by the Pradeshiya Sabha has enabled us to provide opportunities to relieve the mental stress and fatigue of children and adults in the area and surrounding areas, and to improve the environmental condition of the area by implementing tree planting programs to create shade in public places.

Furthermore, by conducting awareness programs on the role of voluntary organizations, we were able to provide opportunities for voluntary organizations to perform their duties to the maximum extent possible, and we as the Pradeshiya Sabha were able to work very closely with voluntary organizations. This enabled us to provide solutions to many problems in the area that were not known to us.

Also, the two crematoriums at Maspotha and Diyabawa, which will be constructed under the Deyata Kirula Project in 2014 with a sum of Rs. 13,000,000.00 and Rs. 13,000,000.00 from the council funds, and the Wellawa and Maspotha Sathipola, which will be constructed under the Pura Neguma Project, are scheduled to be opened to the public this year. Through all these things, we were able to bring the living standards of the people of the area to a higher level and carry out social development in a good manner.

The term of the Pradeshiya Sabha ended on 15th May 2015 and the council was dissolved. With effect from that date, Secretary D.D. Wickramasinghe assumed official duties as the officer responsible for the performance of powers and functions. The Pradeshiya Sabha Performance Competition for the year 2014 was held in August 2015. This enabled us to secure second place in the North Western Province. It can be described as a victory for all the people in the area. At the end of this year, the end of the pre-school year ceremony was held in a grand manner at the Maligapitiya Stadium, Kurunegala with the participation of all the pre-school children in the area.
As the Pradeshiya Sabha, we were able to improve the living standards of the area by providing school supplies for children from low-income families, housing, medical care, sports activities, voluntary organizations, people with special abilities, disaster relief, and by fulfilling the self-employment training needs of women in relation to women’s welfare activities. By using a large amount of council funds to cover the entire area, road development, community hall renovations, new constructions, provincial specific projects, and provincial investments, the road system and physical development activities in the area were carried out at a very high level.

In 2016, the Wellawa Sathipola, built under the Deyata Kirula Project, was opened to the public, and the four newly constructed clinic centers in Thorawathura, Thuruliyagama, Rugolla and Wewagedara were opened to the public to improve the health status of the people in the area.

Due to the non-holding of a Pradeshiya Sabha election in 2016, the Secretary, Mrs. D.D. Wickramasinghe, continued to act as the officer implementing the powers, functions and duties of the Council. During this year too, activities such as the Pirith Pinkam festival, the annual friendly gathering and the donation of alms to the Mallawapitiya Elders’ Home in conjunction with Vesak Poya were carried out with the intervention of the Council staff.

During the year, under the Council Industries, Provincial Specific, Provincial Investment and Pradeshiya Sabha Upgrading Programmes, projects such as the construction of the Dambokka Solid Waste Management Centre, the renovation of the Public Market, the construction of the Ayuvandama Community Hall and the development of 55 rural roads were implemented to develop the infrastructure of the area. This year was a very important year for the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha, as it was able to secure the first place in the Provincial Performance Competition held in 2015. Furthermore, in 2016, it was an achievement for us as an institution to be able to appear for the first time in the National Productivity Competition and receive a merit award.

In the year 2017, due to the non-holding of the Pradeshiya Sabha elections, the Secretary, Mrs. D.D. Wickramasinghe, continued to act as the officer implementing the powers, functions and duties of the Sabha. The Secretary and the staff of the Sabha jointly organized employee motivation programs such as the annual Pirith Pinkama, the Avurudu festival, and the Vesak Poya festival. During the year, the Maspotha Crematorium was opened under the programs of the Council Industries, Provincial Specific, Provincial Investment and Pradeshiya Sabha Upgrading. The Pradeshiya Sabha Performance Competition for the year 2016 was held in 2016 and the team managed to secure the third place in the Northwestern Province. The team also achieved a great victory by securing the first place from the Northwestern Province in the Northwestern Province Volleyball Tournament. It was a special achievement that the best player in the volleyball tournament was also a player from the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha.

The inaugural session of the sixth session of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha commenced on 4th April 2018. Hon. Achala Nimantha Wickramathilake was sworn in as the Chairman of the sixth session and Hon. Anura Kumara Arambepola was sworn in as the Vice Chairman. According to the new division system, members were appointed for 44 divisions and various programs were implemented under the leadership of the Hon. Chairman in 2018 under the administration, health and sanitation services, physical planning, roads, lands and buildings, public utilities and welfare services. This year, the construction of the Kudagalagamuwa Library, which had been lacking for some time, was started from the council funds. The foundation stone for the construction of the new multipurpose building of the Pradeshiya Sabha with a capital expenditure of 12.2 million with the contribution of the Pura Neguma project was also laid on 21.12.2018.
The construction of the Pradeshiya Sabha multipurpose building, the Kudagalgamuwa library building and the Diyabawa crematorium were completed in 2019 and these buildings were scheduled to be opened to the public in 2020.

In the year 2019, various development programs were implemented under the leadership of the Honorable Chairman to achieve sustainable development goals, and nearly Rs. 200 million was allocated for road reconstruction in the council area under the council funds and the central government’s village development provisions. Work was initiated this year to construct a new building for the Doratiyawa Library, and our council received a much-needed compactor vehicle as a grant from the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government in the year 2019.

On February 01, 2020, former Secretary Mrs. D.D. Wickramasinghe was transferred and assumed the duties of the Ridigama Pradeshiya Sabha, and Mr. J.A. Ajith Kumarasinghe assumed the duties as the Secretary of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha. After March 16, 2020, all development activities were temporarily stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, but welfare activities continued to be carried out to provide relief to the people of the area. Development activities were resumed from June 2020 and nearly Rs. 120 million was spent on the development of roads in the area as council projects. The purchase of a gully bowser proposed in the 2020 budget was carried out this year.

In 2021, we were able to open the Dambokka Solid Waste Management Center, which was of great importance at the time, using public funds. This was an achievement for us to be able to recycle the waste collected in the area and turn it into fertilizer and distribute it to the people. We were also able to open the Diyabawa Crematorium, which was built with funds from the council funds and the 2014 Deyata Kirula Project, to the public. Our crematoriums were a great help in providing the services that we could provide to the people in the face of the prevailing Covid pandemic. We were also able to provide all the necessary facilities, including food, during the Covid vaccination of the people in the area in 2021.

A major achievement in the journey of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha is the ability to open the new multipurpose building of the Pradeshiya Sabha, the foundation stone of which was laid in 2018, to the public in 2022. We believe that this will enable us to provide more efficient and effective services to the public in the area. The newly constructed Doratiyawa Sub-Office and Public Library in 2021, the Kudagalgamuwa Sub-Office and Public Library were opened to the public in 2022, and in 2022, as in other years, we were able to continue to contribute to the upliftment of the lives of the people by carrying out road development activities on a large scale.

In 2023, the following tasks were initiated: modernizing the Malpitiya Shopping Complex, carrying out future work on the Wellawa Shopping Complex, modernizing the children’s park in Wewagedara village and handing it over to the public, preparing the Thittawella Wewa Development Project and the Badagamuwa Development Project, facilitating payment of assessment tax without visiting the office and using new technology, providing the opportunity to use WhatsApp and Facebook for public complaints, and providing the opportunity to issue trade licenses online. Currently, many of these tasks are underway.

In 2023, we were able to achieve a gold award in the 2022 Parliamentary Accounts Committee Tournament, our institution also won the first place and the best player award in the North Western Province Softball Tournament held in 2023, establish a twenty-four (24) hour Emergency Disaster Management Unit by the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha on the instructions of the Honorable Governor of the North Western Province, and map roads in the council area using GIS technology.

This year too, we were able to win a gold award in the 2023 Parliamentary Accounts Committee Competition. The Saragama Lane Project was handed over to the public. The modernization of Malpitiya Preschool, Malpitiya Secondary School and Malpitiya Library took place in 2024. We were also able to provide payment facilities under online technology.

It is my hope that with all these factors, the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha will be able to take another step forward in the year 2025, with the aspirations of creating an intelligent society that is friendly to the village and the country, with the budget presented in this way.