A people’s forum was held recently in Poramba to create a platform for citizens, officials and , Ambalangoda Urban Council members to identify governance issues in the area. Community Based Organisations in Poramba supported TISL in organising the forum where more than 60 villagers participated.
The village temple was the venue of the meeting, which was held under the patronage of Rev. Tennekumbure Sumangala Thero, chief incumbent of the temple.
Garbage collection and cleaning of the area were major issues due to the lack of a proper system in place and also the citizens not showing much interest in monitoring. To overcome this issue the citizens’ committee members stressed on the importance of working together as a team. A committee was appointed to draw a plan on garbage collection.
The villagers raised several health related issues during the discussion.
Mr. Pushpakumara, Chief Revenue Officer of Ambalangoda UC explained that the Council is now closely working with the public and people’s participation in decision-making is highly encouraged.
This meeting paved the way for TISL to engage more with the people and develop a network with potential community leaders.