Sitting of Friday, 7 February 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1739786070060795 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Announcements: Privilege Question on Non-Allocation of Speaking Time 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers: Ministerial Reports and Annual Reports 2 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions: Citizens' Petitions Tabled 5 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Answers to Questions and Second Round Questions 99 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: National Schools in Colombo North 2 speeches
- 6 Papers Ministerial Statements on Justice Department, Foreign Employment, and Hydrated Lime Importation 26 speeches
- 7 Procedural Procedural Motions on Standing Order Exemption and Time Amendment 8 speeches
- 8 Debate Private Members' Motion 1: Acquisition of Estate Roads to the Government 25 speeches
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi SJB
AI summary Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi stated that his earlier Motion was intended to show Opposition support for a Government proposal, but said it had been suppressed or arbitrarily blocked despite not being discussed in Committee. He requested the Deputy Speaker to look into the matter, expressed displeasure over the handling of the Motion, and then proceeded to the Motion scheduled for the day.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi SJB
AI summary Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi moved a Private Members’ Motion urging the Government to vest under Provincial and Local Authorities estate roads that pass through plantation company lands and serve estate worker settlements. Citing Ratnapura and other plantation areas, he argued that unclear ownership and company control prevent road development and access, and called for discussions with estate companies, resources, and legal changes to empower authorities. He also requested broader measures for plantation communities, including action on line-room housing, equitable allocation of facilities across districts, A/L science education for Tamil students in Ratnapura, and inclusive mechanisms that treat Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities equally.
- The Hon. B. Ariyawansha SJB
AI summary Hon. B. Ariyawansha seconded the Private Member’s Motion on developing estate roads, citing severe access problems in estate areas of Ratnapura District such as Kolonna, Rakwana, Balangoda, Ratnapura, Nivithigala and Kalawana. He said poor road conditions impede emergency transport and agricultural activity, affecting both estate communities and smallholders, and argued that estate roads should be vested in the Government and developed through Provincial Councils and local authorities. He also called for a programme to improve basic infrastructure, including roads and housing, for poor estate communities.
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. (Ms.) Ambika Samivel JJB
AI summary Hon. Ambika Samivel supported the Private Member’s Motion on acquiring estate roads to the Government, arguing that successive past governments and plantation portfolio holders had failed to improve estate infrastructure and living conditions. She said the NPP Government was implementing programmes to integrate hill-country communities into the national mainstream, including land with secure title, infrastructure, and 5,400 houses, with attention to displaced families in areas such as Kabaragala and Meeriabedda. She also stated that the Clean Sri Lanka programme would cover hill-country communities, including interim renovation of line rooms and provision of roads, bridges, and other facilities.
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan SJB
AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan supported the Private Member’s Motion calling for the Government to take over and develop estate roads, arguing that their unclear ownership leaves them neglected by existing road authorities. He urged the plantation and community infrastructure ministers to assume responsibility, noting that past allocations were insufficient and that the current Government has the parliamentary majority and executive authority to act, including by seeking foreign assistance. He also referred to schools in Ratnapura and Yatiyantota with Advanced Level classes and requested further development of such schools.
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Kitnan Selvaraj JJB
AI summary Kitnan Selvaraj supported Hesha Withanage’s Private Member’s Motion on hill-country estate roads while criticizing the UNP’s 1992 privatization of plantations and the absence of binding development plans for estate infrastructure. He said estate-connecting and internal roads remain neglected despite the national road network’s classifications, and argued that past governments and allied hill-country Tamil political figures had failed the community. He stated that the NPP Government is studying hill-country issues and is committed to improving education, housing and transport.
- The Hon. J.C. Alawathuwala SJB
AI summary Hon. J.C. Alawathuwala supported Hon. Hesha Withanage’s Private Member’s Motion on estate roads, noting that such roads are now used not only for estate produce but also for daily transport by residents. He said estate companies do not maintain these roads for community needs and urged the Government to give special attention to unmanaged internal estate roads, particularly in areas such as Mawathagama and Dodangaslanda with large Tamil estate populations.
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. K. Sujith Sanjaya Perera SJB
AI summary K. Sujith Sanjaya Perera supported Hon. Hesha Withanage’s Private Member’s Motion on estate and plantation-adjacent roads, stating that many have deteriorated because plantation companies, provincial councils, local authorities, and the Road Development Authority have not adequately maintained them. He proposed that the Government vest and rehabilitate these roads using public funds or tax revenue collected from plantation companies, estimated at about Rs. 1.5 billion annually. He further requested that, after rehabilitation, routine maintenance be made the responsibility of the plantation companies and urged the Minister and Government to act urgently.
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Jeevan Thondaman UNP
AI summary Hon. Jeevan Thondaman argued that plantation infrastructure funding is structurally inadequate and that services such as roads, schools, hospitals, and housing should be handled by the relevant line ministries rather than a separate plantation portfolio. He said plantation communities need recognition rather than pity, noted that only a minority are estate workers, and called for increased allocations and simplified procedures, citing plantation company approvals as a major barrier to development. He asked the Government to clarify its housing and land policy for upcountry people, specifically whether it plans apartments, individual houses, land ownership, or evictions, and referred to previous Cabinet papers seeking land ownership for the community.
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Chaminda Wijesiri SJB
AI summary Chaminda Wijesiri apologized to the Deputy Speaker for any earlier offence and addressed a motion by Hesha Withanage concerning road access in plantation areas. He argued that estate road construction and related facilities are obstructed by long-term plantation lease arrangements, with estate authorities restricting movement, imposing controls, and blocking government-funded works such as roads and toilets. He urged the Minister and Government to resolve the legal and administrative powers held by plantation authorities through a collective mechanism to address hardships faced by estate communities, particularly Tamil residents.
- The Hon. Deputy Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure JJB
AI summary Minister K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna said the Government accepts responsibility for addressing long-standing rights and infrastructure issues in plantation communities, including roads, housing, land, documentation, education and health-related deprivation. He outlined planned measures such as rehabilitating 75 line-rooms under Clean Sri Lanka, providing legal addresses, birth certificates and NICs on-site, constructing 5,400 houses with Indian assistance using need-based criteria, and establishing 60 smart classrooms for Tamil-medium plantation children. On the proposal to vest plantation roads in the Government, he noted legal obstacles because many roads lie within private or leased estate lands under agreements extending to around 2045, but stated that the Government would pursue a systematic solution without waiting until then.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna - Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure JJB
AI summary The Minister stated that longstanding issues affecting the plantation community had remained unresolved for 76 years. He assured Parliament that, during the Government’s five-year term under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, it would seek to advance fundamental rights and improve conditions for these citizens as equal Sri Lankans, even if all problems cannot be fully resolved.
Ethnic Reconciliation & Devolution Full speech → - The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- The Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi SJB
AI summary Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi welcomed the Minister’s response to his Private Member’s Motion on long-standing issues affecting Tamil communities, particularly in estate and village areas, and urged that responsibility be shared by all MPs rather than treated solely as a matter for Tamil representatives. He argued that decades of neglect should not be used to justify further inaction, highlighting the need for practical measures such as road development to ease tensions and improve access. He thanked Members who supported the debate and requested that an earlier postponed motion be given time on a future occasion.
- The Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees procedural
- 9 Debate Private Members' Motion 2: Proper Procurement Programme for Co-operatives 15 speeches
- 10 Debate Private Members' Motion 3: Making Arrangements for Maintaining a Rice Reserve 16 speeches
- 11 Debate Private Members' Motion 4: Appointment of Labour Welfare Officers 9 speeches
- 12 Debate Private Members' Motion 5: Abolishing the Pension Scheme of Members of Parliament 20 speeches
- 13 Debate Private Members' Motion 6: Select Committee to Investigate COVID-19 Cremation Decisions 14 speeches
- 14 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Sri Lanka Cricket Development and Anti-Corruption Measures 6 speeches