The road leading to Sri Murugan settlement in Karaveddi pradeshiya sabha, Grama Niladhari Division J/353 was renovated at the cost of 32 million rupees. This information was disclosed as a result of an RTI application filed by a group of youth participants who attended a training workshop on the Right to Information conducted by the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) with the financial support of USAID- Strengthening Democratic Governance and Accountability Project activity.
The road to this area was in a dilapidated condition for many years. During the rainy season, all of its inhabitants including pedestrians, students, and people with various disabilities, expectant mothers and emergency patients were all affected by its poor condition. The damage did not stop just here. Vehicles too were damaged and accidents were quite common due to poor road conditions. As a result, civilians took matters into their own hands and had to temporarily repair the road by filling it with soil and stones.
After learning about the Right to Information Act, a set of youngsters filed an RTI application and submitted it to the Karaveddi Divisional Secretariat Office in December 2018 with regard to the renovation of the road requesting to know the future plans for its renovation.
As a result of the application, not only was a reply received but the road was also reconstructed. The road is 76 Meters long and the entire stretch was repaired. This was done within a span of two months.
The residents of the area were pleased with the immediate action that followed RTI.
The youth believe that they were able to contribute towards a worthy cause for the betterment of the area that they live in thanks to the RTI knowledge they gained at the workshop. They say they would use the RTI knowledge they gained for such causes in future as well.
This update was prepared by participants of the Information and Communication Training Workshop conducted by the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) through a grant funded by the United States Agency for International Development through the Strengthening Democratic Governance and Accountability Project Activity.
“The contents of this post are the sole responsibility of SLPI and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.”
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