Life in Udagaladebokka is not as pleasant as it seems

The beautiful village, Udagaladebokka is an unforgettable destination for those who are exploring the wonders of nature. Udagaladebokka, which belongs to the Minipe Divisional Secretariat in the Kandy District, is a village of natural beauty that attracts the attention of tourists. But can you believe that its beauty is never felt by those who are living in that area?

The reality is that even today there is no electricity to light a light bulb at night and there is no proper way to get to a hospital by vehicle in case of an emergency. Also, there is no proper school where students can seek secondary education and villagers can face attacks by animals at any moment. The hardships faced by the residents of this area are overshadowed by the scenic beauty of this area. 

In the midst of these difficulties, 36 families are currently living in the Udagaladebokka Grama Niladhari Division. As per the response to a RTI request sent to the Minipe Divisional Secretariat, it was noted that there are 72 eligible voters in this area. 

Moreover, in the aforementioned RTI request, we inquired about other key issues related to the infrastructure in this area and the responses for those are as follows. 

Through the RTI request, it was revealed that the road leading to Udagaladebokka village has been developed at a cost of Rs. 02 million under the 2020 “Sapiri Gamak” developmental program. Also a sum of Rs. 03 million has been approved for the development of the road leading to Udagaladebokka village under the ‘Gama Samaga Pilisandarak’ program in the year 2022. Although the government has paid attention to the development of these roads in the village, it has been stated that no program has been implemented to develop the roads within the village. 

In addition, the Ministry of Power and Energy has informed that the Sustainable Energy Authority of Sri Lanka is working to supply electricity to Udagaladebokka, Galmuduna and Medakele villages, outside the national grid and that a potential contractor has been selected for the purpose. The construction of a 25 kWp solar power plant in Udagaladebokka village commenced on 12th of January 2022, according to the Minipe Divisional Secretariat.

We have already made inquiries to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Sri Lanka under the Right To Information Act regarding the progress of that program and we hope to inform you about it in a later article.