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
- 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
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Bimal Rathnayake formally moved the adjournment of Parliament. The motion “That Parliament do now adjourn” was then proposed.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Dharmapriya Dissanayake JJB
AI summary Dharmapriya Dissanayake noted that although about 500,000 tourists had arrived in Sri Lanka in 2025, only around 2 per cent had visited the North-Western Province. He proposed designating and developing the Puttalam District and wider North-Western Province as tourism zones, highlighting coastal attractions such as Kalpitiya and Battalangunduwa, inland reservoirs, Wilpattu, and historic capitals including Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, and Kurunegala. He said plans were being prepared with the provincial Governor, including cable-car projects and reservoir-based development, and called for stronger global promotion of the province as a tourist destination.
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sujeewa Dissanayake JJB
AI summary Hon. Sujeewa Dissanayake seconded the Adjournment motion on developing tourism in the North-Western Province, highlighting its geographic accessibility, climatic diversity, historical capitals, folklore-linked sites, reservoirs, mineral and industrial attractions, and cultural heritage in Puttalam and Kurunegala Districts. He cited sites such as Yapahuwa, Panduwasnuwara, Dambadeniya, Kurunegala, Nathagane, Pomparippu, Wilbawa, and the Puttalam coast as evidence of the province’s tourism potential. He requested the Ministry of Tourism to promote and develop the province as a major destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.
- Mr. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Ashoka Gunasena JJB
AI summary The speech supported the Adjournment Motion on developing tourism in the North-Western Province, noting its importance to the economy and alignment with the President’s plan to promote tourism around historic cities. It highlighted newly identified and lesser-known attractions linked to ancient capitals, including sites around the Dambadeniya Kingdom such as Raanagala, Thun Dola reservoir, Mahamevna, Bambaragala Rajamaha Vihara, Sangili Bridge, Bhakbelikanda and Maragala. The member said these locations would be given attention in future tourism development and promoted as part of the province’s economic contribution.
- The Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe - Deputy Minister of Tourism JJB
AI summary The Deputy Minister said the North-Western Province has not fully benefited from tourism despite its historical, cultural and natural assets, and outlined plans to develop sites in Kurunegala and Puttalam including Kalpitiya, Wilpattu, Ridi Vihara, Hettikuchchi Vihara and Ethkanda Vihara. He stated that a “North-Western Cultural Quadrangle” project, a provincial tourism master plan, and a national programme to develop 100 attractions with Rs. 10 million per site would support infrastructure, conservation and promotion, with Members invited to nominate sites. He also noted allocations of Rs. 8 million for the master plan and over Rs. 100 million through the Provincial Council, and said the Government intends to expand inclusive and sustainable tourism benefits to communities across the province, including improved access to Wilpattu from the Puttalam side.
- 7 Procedural Parliament Adjourned 1 speeches