Sitting of Monday, 10 March 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1743651953052186 ·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 Special Workshop on Digital Economy Strategy 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers Presented and Ministerial Consultative Committee Reports 6 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions 4 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Answers to Questions 19 speeches
- The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation JJB
AI summary Minister Bimal Rathnayake stated that land acquisition for the Ruwanpura Expressway began in 2016 and covers about 210.1 hectares, including 2,910 plots, with compensation governed by the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 compensation regulations, and LARC/Super LARC committee procedures. He said project stoppages and Cabinet decisions had caused delays and hardships for affected residents, including delayed compensation, higher rebuilding costs, loss of income, and incomplete houses. He reported that Rs. 5,098 million had been paid by the end of 2024, with further allocations made from 2022 to 2025 and Rs. 129.66 million paid in 2025 for 31 plots.
- The Hon. Aruna Panagoda JJB
AI summary Hon. Aruna Panagoda raised concerns about 592 acquired plots in the Homagama DS Division, noting that only six have been properly valued after about 10 years. He said affected owners cannot build or sell their land, while local authorities continue to levy rates despite the lands being treated as state land. He asked the Minister what immediate steps will be taken to resolve these valuation and ownership-related hardships.
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation JJB
AI summary In response to a matter concerning land acquisition in Homagama, the Minister clarified that the relevant Grama Niladhari divisions are Kahatuduwa North, West, East and South, and Kirigampamunuwa. He stated that the correct number of plots is 560, not 592, with 448 plots under Section 10(1) notices, 15 under Section 17, and 15 decided by the LARC. Payments are ongoing for 9 plots, with a further 6 under LARC, and the acquisition process is continuing.
Land & Housing Full speech → - The Hon. Aruna Panagoda JJB
AI summary Asked whether there is a specified time frame for completing the payment of compensation.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation JJB
AI summary Rs. 2,000 million has been allocated in 2025 for compensation payments related to land acquisitions for the Ruwanpura Expressway, with the aim of completing those payments within the year. The Minister also stated that issues concerning local authority rates could be discussed with the relevant Pradeshiya Sabha to determine appropriate action.
- The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy JJB
AI summary The Minister stated that the Ceylon Electricity Board implemented 208 generation and transmission projects from 2020 to 2024, with further small-scale annual distribution projects under ten-year distribution development plans. He noted that the Badulla District had one relevant project, the Uma Oya Hydropower Project, under the Ministry of Irrigation’s multi-purpose development programme. He said projects are selected according to the CEB’s long-term generation and transmission plans approved by the Public Utilities Commission, not on external requests, and tabled details on funding, estimates and expenditure.
- The Hon. Dinindu Saman
AI summary Dinindu Saman alleged that over 1,000 acres of conservation land in the Bogahapelessa Reserve, Haldummulla, had been illegally cultivated with the involvement of a former Uva Governor. He stated that political pressure was placed on the Ceylon Electricity Board to supply electricity to these cultivations, including through an elephant corridor, and asked whether the Ministry would recover the public funds spent on the project.
- The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy JJB
AI summary The Minister of Energy stated that he had suspended the project after becoming aware of the issue and instructed the Ceylon Electricity Board to investigate expenditures and possible recoveries. He said further action would follow once the report is received and asked that the question be submitted formally for a detailed response, noting that he could not provide figures at that stage.
Public Finance Full speech → - The Hon. Dinindu Saman
AI summary Hon. Dinindu Saman raised the need to provide electricity to the Diriya Govi traditional farming community near the Roonakanda Reserve. He noted that the District Coordinating Committee had already decided to supply electricity and asked when the project would be expedited and completed.
- The Hon. Kumara Jayakody - Minister of Energy JJB
AI summary The Minister of Energy stated that he has instructed the Ceylon Electricity Board to provide electricity supply to lawful residents in the relevant area. He said the wider project had been temporarily halted and requires formal DCC approval before proceeding, so he could not provide a timeline at this stage.
Infrastructure Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education JJB
AI summary Government teacher transfers are governed by the National Teacher Transfer Policy, though recent implementation lapses were acknowledged; inter-zonal transfers were conducted in several years, with annual transfers to resume from April 2025. The response also stated that irregularities in school admissions had been reported, and that intermediate-grade admissions would henceforth be made only through circulars where vacancies exist, not by ad hoc letters. Vacancies were reported in the Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service, Teacher Educators’ Service and Principals’ Service, with recruitment processes under way, including pending PSC procedures, Cabinet approval for principals’ recruitment, and further examinations to fill remaining posts.
- The Hon. Padmasiri Bandara JJB
AI summary Hon. Padmasiri Bandara raised concerns about the separation between Provincial and National School teacher transfer processes, noting that zonal transfer boards lack authority to transfer teachers into National Schools. He said many teachers in Polonnaruwa’s provincial schools seek such transfers but have no clear mechanism, and asked whether powers would be adjusted to allow zonal boards to address these transfers and correct staffing imbalances.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister acknowledged problems in teacher placements between National and Provincial schools, particularly in districts with few National Schools, where teachers may receive undesirable appointments. He said cross-category transfers remain difficult despite service requirements, and stated that forthcoming education reforms would introduce subject-wise, systematic teacher deployment. He also noted that the transfer policy is under review to reduce these issues and place teachers in nearby schools where possible.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. Padmasiri Bandara JJB
AI summary Hon. Padmasiri Bandara raised concerns that the current system of multiple school categories has intensified competition for admission to a limited number of schools. He asked what steps and timeline the Government has planned to implement the “Prosperous Country – Beautiful Life” policy proposal to categorize schools nationally into Primary, Secondary, and Senior Secondary tiers.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education JJB
AI summary As part of education reforms, the Deputy Minister said a scientific, needs-based categorization of schools is being developed to ensure students have access to a well-equipped nearby school, generally within a 3 km radius, while accounting for geography and equity. He stated that a pilot profiling exercise covering 98 schools with fewer than 50 students across all nine provinces is in progress and that data compilation is continuing, with implementation expected to begin next year.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera (on behalf of the Hon. T.K. Jayasundara) JJB
AI summary A question was raised to the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation regarding the stalled iRoad Project in the Hiniduma Electorate. The inquiry sought information on the status of the project and implied a request for action or clarification on delays affecting road development in the area.
Infrastructure Full speech → - The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation JJB
AI summary At the time the relevant contract was terminated, the road project had reached 76 per cent physical progress, with asphalt laid on 51 km of the 64.62 km package and 23.57 km fully completed. The total package estimate was Rs. 1,458 million, and responsibility lay with the Ministry of Highways and the Road Development Authority. Further work cannot proceed because the Supreme Court, in SC/HCCA/LA/254/2021, has ordered the maintenance of the status quo pending conclusion of the case.
Infrastructure Full speech →
- 5 Debate Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage 114 speeches
- 6 Adjournment Adjournment Motion: Development of North-Western Province as a Tourist Destination 8 speeches
- 7 Procedural Parliament Adjourned 1 speeches