Minister Maithripala gave this assurance yesterday (8th) in reply to an inquiry asking if the Government will give legal and other assistance to UNP MPs who would get into trouble upon voting for the bill.

All the 489 families affected by the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project have been resettled in modern housing units. Many of them were living in thin-roofed line rooms with no separate kitchen or bathroom.

The Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project has given a great impetus to raise the living standards and the social status of the people in the Talawakelle area. The infrastructure and housing Development in and around the Talawakele town depict the Government effort to raise the life standards and social status of the people.

There had been 489 families residing in the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project Area prior to the project commencement. In fulfilling the Government’s promise to provide them with better housing facilities, 489 modern housing units have been constructed by the project and all affected people have been settled.

These families had been in nine settlements in the project area viz: Kumaragama with 61 families. Devisiripura with 20 families, Talawakele with 160 families, Ratneelakele with 117 families, Middlton Bar with 26 families, Middleton Division with 17 families, Walkers with 28 families, U.C. scavengers with 39 families, and Nanuoya Division with 21 families.

Prime Minister D M Jayaratne presented the Bill titled 18th Amendment to the Constitution in Parliament yesterday amidst disturbances and point of orders raised by Opposition members against the Bill.

Accordingly, the Bill is scheduled to be taken for debate today and the vote is to be taken this evening.

The Prime Minister tabled the Bill and soon after that TNA MP M Sumanthiram raising a point of order said the Bill has to be presented to the Provincial Councils before it comes to Parliament.

According to the Constitution, the Bill which affects Provincial Councils must be referred to the Provincial Councils first and then only it could come to Parliament, he said. Since the 18th Amendment envisages to abolish the Provincial Police Commission and Provincial Public Service Commission, it has to obtain the approval of Provincial Councils, he said.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the House must pass a resolution before the moving of an urgent Bill and that there was no such resolution passed.

Van Wyk hit a sparkling 136 not out from just 108 deliveries as South Africa ‘A’ successfully reached their revised target of 248 runs with three overs to spare. A slight drizzle mid way in their innings halted play for a short period and as a result three overs were reduced with a revised target.

However South Africa ‘A’ were always ahead of the asking rate after their openers Morne van Wyk and Stiaan van Zyl had put on a 96 run partnership from 13 overs. The pair virtually took the game away from Sri Lanka with some aggressive batting that set the pace for a rousing victory.

Rafael Nadal swept into the last 16 at the US Open on Sunday, but Andy Murray’s campaign came to a shuddering halt. Top seed Nadal swept past Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 as Spanish players dominated the top half of the draw, filling five out of eight places through into the fourth round.

The number one seed will play Spanish compatriot Feliciano Lopez for a place in the quarter-finals. Lopez won through when opponent Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine abandoned when losing 6-3, 4-0.

In earlier play, Spanish eighth seed Verdasco blasted past Argentina’s David Nalbandian 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, while compatriot and 10th seed Ferrer ousted compatriot Daniel Gimeno-Traver 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2.

Those two will meet in the other semi-final in the first quarter of the draw, ensuring at least one Spanish player in the semi-finals.

The proposed Constitutional changes are all in the Mahinda Chintana Idiri Dekma, the policy manifesto of President Mahinda Rajapaksa introduced at the last Presidential election, said Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa yesterday. He was speaking at the meeting held by the President with Heads of media institutions and Editors at Temple Trees.

Refuting arguments put forward by certain Opposition politicians and others, Minister Rajapaksa said that the proposals have not been suddenly brought forward but are all spelt out in the election manifesto. Quoting from the text of the Idiri Dekma he explained that the UPFA has not pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency. It had clearly stated its desire to revise the Executive Presidency to make it more answerable to the Parliament. The proposal to make it mandatory for the President to visit Parliament at least once in three months is a fulfillment of that pledge, he said.