Sitting of Tuesday, 8 April 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1747715041076408 ·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 Opening: Parliament commencement, President's Message, Announcements, and Committee Listings 85 speeches
- 2 Opening Opening: Message from President, Speaker's Certificate, VAT Bill Determination, and Death Notice 4 speeches
- 3 Papers Papers: Annual Reports and Institutional Statements 10 speeches
- 4 Procedural Procedural: Welfare Benefits Gazette Discussion and Clarifications 7 speeches
- 5 Committee report Committee Reports: Justice and Governance Committee Reports 4 speeches
- 6 Petitions Petitions: Citizens' Petitions Presented 5 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question: EPF and ETF Files (276/2024) 6 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question: Sri Lanka Transport Board and Railways (383/2025) 6 speeches
- Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana NDF
AI summary Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana asked the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation to provide detailed operational and financial information on the Sri Lanka Transport Board, including depot numbers, profit and loss status, measures for loss-making depots, bus fleet deployment and removals, reasons for removals, and total employees. He also requested corresponding details on the Department of Railways, including the number of stations, operational and removed trains, reasons for removals, new trains in service, and employee numbers by casual and permanent status.
- Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary In response to a question on public transport operations, Hon. Bimal Rathnayake provided statistics on Sri Lanka Transport Board depots, buses, and staffing, noting 107 main depots, 58 loss-making depots, 7,137 buses owned, 5,182 in operation, and 25,384 employees. He outlined measures to improve depot performance, including management changes, increased bus deployment, revenue targets, expenditure control, fuel management, staff training, ancillary commercial activity, and digitalization. He also reported that the railway network has 185 stations and 164 sub-stations, with 103 trains in operation and 116 withdrawn for repairs, and stated that the Railway Department has 14,733 employees against an approved cadre of 20,605.
- Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana NDF
AI summary Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana asked the Minister what steps are being taken regarding 1,955 buses that are out of service. He questioned whether they would be auctioned and raised concerns that some buses are lying idle for minor reasons such as lack of batteries, while their parts are being removed for other buses, eventually turning them into scrap.
- Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake said the SLTB had been damaged by deliberate mismanagement, poor depot administration, and politically influenced staff placements. He stated that about 200 buses would be repaired and returned to service during the New Year period, while shortages of mechanics and drivers and cases involving over a thousand suspended personnel were being addressed. He added that staff assigned to inappropriate higher roles would be returned to their proper duties and that new agreements would be signed to strengthen mechanical divisions.
- Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana NDF
AI summary Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana raised concerns about railway crossing safety, citing frequent accidents and malfunctioning warning lights. He specifically referred to a crossing between Maggona and Payagala stations in his district where the red lights remain constantly on, and requested government attention to crossings on routes toward the South.
- Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Around 440 unprotected railway crossings remain, and the member noted that they could be staffed with gatekeepers paid modest allowances of Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 10,000. He stated that a programme has begun this year to convert most of these crossings into protected crossings, with the aim of carrying it out through CSR projects.
- 9 Oral question Oral Question: Drinking Water Supply Vavuniya (424/2025) 7 speeches
- 10 Oral question Oral Question: Drinking Water Facilities Trincomalee (427/2025) 6 speeches
- 11 Oral question Oral Question: Soldiers Recruitment Special Workwear (445/2025) 6 speeches
- 12 Oral question Oral Question: Question 569/2025 (Stand Down) 3 speeches
- 13 Oral question Oral Question: Land Deeds for Government Lands Program 14 speeches
- 14 Oral question Oral Question: Private Tuition Regulation and Child Safety 10 speeches
- 15 Oral question Oral Question: Chilaw General Hospital Development 4 speeches
- 16 Oral question Oral Question: Sri Lanka Samurdhi Authority and Officer Pensions 2 speeches
- 17 Oral question Oral Question: MSME Tariff Crisis and Trade Negotiations (SO 27(2)) 18 speeches
- 18 Procedural Procedural: Points of Order on Trade Agreements and Privilege Matter 5 speeches
- 19 Procedural Procedural: Point of Order on Members' Conduct and Sitting Hours 4 speeches
- 20 Debate Debate: Proceeds of Crime Bill – Second Reading 86 speeches
- 21 Procedural Procedural: Inspector-General of Police Removal Resolution and Division Vote 13 speeches