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Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Monday, 24 November 2025

10th Parliament· 19 debates· 213 speeches· 72 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23008 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  15. 15 Debate Appropriation Bill 2026 Committee Stage: Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation - Part 1 14 speeches
    • The Hon. Chairman procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB

      AI summary Reiterating the restructuring notes set out in the Gazette, the Minister confirmed that the Appropriation totals remain unchanged. He clarified that only reallocations between expenditure heads are involved.

      Public Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. S.M. Marikkar SJB

      AI summary Hon. S.M. Marikkar moved the customary Rs. 10 reduction under the relevant Heads and argued that the infrastructure-related ministries must improve budget utilization, citing low 2025 expenditure progress in transport, highways, ports, civil aviation, urban development, construction, housing, and water supply. He called for addressing RDA staff and engineers’ concerns, accelerating stalled road, bridge, rail, port and urban development projects, and preparing an integrated transport master plan with multimodal links and PPP-based expressway development. He sought updates on the East Container Terminal and Galle Port, criticized the cancellation or delay of projects such as the LRT, Kelani Valley railway upgrade and MCC-funded traffic improvements, and urged measures to reduce construction costs and revive the sector.

      InfrastructurePublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. S.M. Marikkar SJB

      AI summary Hon. S.M. Marikkar questioned whether the Budget allocation for low-income housing is realistic, arguing that Rs. 1.02 million per house is insufficient given past UDA housing costs and current economic conditions, and requested technical justification. He opposed a “fire sale” of SriLankan Airlines but said it cannot continue receiving Budget support without debt restructuring, cost control, and proper leadership, including CEO and COO appointments. He also alleged major leakage through contract variations in infrastructure projects and called for a standardized national technical evaluation process to reduce abuse by contractors and officials.

      Public FinanceInfrastructure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Chairman procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and the Leader of the House of Parliament JJB

      AI summary The Minister linked the Ministry’s expenditure debate with the International Day for Eliminating Gender-Based Violence, announcing planned January guidelines for school and office vans and mandatory CCTV in school vans to address harassment of women and children in transport. He said the Ministry expects 82–88 percent progress by year-end across roads, transport and urban development, with highways targeted at 90 percent, while identifying procurement capacity as a key bottleneck in implementing additional Budget allocations and Presidential proposals. He outlined the Ministry’s wide institutional scope and recent recruitment of 3,975 staff across agencies, and urged the Finance Ministry to address low remuneration and allowances at the Road Development Authority, noting its major role in capital expenditure.

      Women & ChildrenPublic FinanceInfrastructure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan ITAK

      AI summary Hon. Gnanamuththu Srineshan raised transport, highways, bridge, aviation and railway issues affecting Batticaloa and the wider North and East, calling for local recruitment to fill SLTB staff shortages, more buses, investigations into poor road construction, progress on several bridge projects, completion of access works and land compensation linked to Batticaloa Airport, and restoration of earlier night-train timings and sleeping berths. He also urged a transparent and consultative approach to archaeology declarations in Batticaloa, saying sudden installation of boards without informing local authorities and elected representatives was creating ethnic tension and suspicion. He welcomed the inclusion of Tamil-speaking members in the Archaeology Advisory Committee but asked that MPs, local bodies and communities be involved at sites before enforcement or court action is pursued.

      InfrastructureEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ananda Wijepala JJB

      AI summary Ananda Wijepala said the boards removed in Valachchenai and Kokkaddicholai were lawful directional signs to archaeological sites, not archaeological site markers, and that local councils had no authority to remove them. He stated that around 110 such signs had been installed by the Department of Archaeology, legal action is being taken over their removal, and any concerns should be addressed through Pradeshiya or District Development Committees with archaeology officials. He emphasized readiness for discussion while rejecting nationalist or religious incitement and said the issue concerns signage, not land ownership.

      Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionJustice & Human Rights Full speech →
    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB

      AI summary Hon. Bimal Rathnayake responded to a sensitive issue raised by Hon. Srineshan, noting that similar site markings had occurred in Mannar and Jaffna and describing such places as part of national heritage. He suggested that local authorities should preserve and develop such sites for academic study and proposed convening an immediate discussion with the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and Minister Ananda Wijepala to resolve any outstanding issues.

      Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionReligion & Culture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Chairman procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law SJB

      AI summary Rauff Hakeem raised concerns over the treatment of the Daftar Jailani Muslim place of worship in Balangoda, saying UDA and Archaeology Department interventions had affected devotees and presented an incomplete historical narrative. He urged the inclusion of Kandy’s underserved settlements in urban regeneration, faster development of the vacant Bogambara Prison site, and conservation of heritage buildings to improve tourism. He requested Rs. 23 million for an SLLDC feasibility study on flood mitigation in Akurana, revival of CRIP-related flood control proposals in Kalmunai and wider drainage studies in Ampara. He also called for prioritising the Heda Oya Reservoir, improving Pottuvil bus facilities and Colombo–Pottuvil transport, and addressing land allocation issues at Mahakanda involving the University of Peradeniya.

      Religion & CultureInfrastructureEnvironment Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Prasanna Gunasena - Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways JJB

      AI summary Responding to issues raised about Kandy, the Deputy Minister said plans for Mahaiyawa include a social survey to determine residents’ preferences for relocation or in-situ redevelopment, followed by a feasibility study to decide the settlement model. He stated that the Akurana flood action plan is being pursued in line with the relevant report and discussed at District Coordinating Committee meetings. On Bogambara, he said a heritage assessment is underway and that a public-private partnership project is expected to be launched around May next year.

      Land & HousingInfrastructure Full speech →
    • The Hon. Jagath Vithana SJB

      AI summary Hon. Jagath Vithana raised transport-sector regulatory and operational issues during the debate on the Heads of Expenditure for Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, stating that private bus workers need formal labour protections, training, proper wages and a regulated staffing pool to support reforms such as card-based payments. He urged a uniform process and fee to regularize bus route permit ownership transfers, coordinated action among transport agencies and a one-stop vehicle document verification mechanism, citing problems at the Department of Motor Traffic and ongoing litigation. He also called for practical adjustments to vehicle import registration timelines due to port yard constraints, better maintenance and management capacity at SLTB depots, revival of integrated timetables, and practical facilities such as toilets at bus stands, while noting he had declined an official vehicle entitlement.

      InfrastructureEmploymentPublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB

      AI summary Under the Clean Sri Lanka programme, a project has begun to renovate 50 bus stands. The Member also urged the introduction of card payment facilities on buses, noting that the programme was launched that day.

      Infrastructure Full speech →