Sitting of Wednesday, 7 January 2026
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23112 ·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 Papers Papers Presented 7 speeches
- 2 Petitions Petitions 5 speeches
- 3 Procedural Condolences and Privilege Matter 1 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Questions: Prime Minister 28 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: Factories in Ekala Industrial Zone (Q.1564/2025) 6 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question: Q.1576/2025 (Adjourned) 2 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question: Holiday Bungalows in Somawathiya National Park (Q.1631/2025) 2 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question: Establishment of National Cadet Corps (Q.1635/2025) 7 speeches
- 9 Oral question Oral Question: Detention Orders (Q.1638/2025) 6 speeches
- 10 Oral question Questions under Standing Order 27(2) 9 speeches
- 11 Procedural Ministerial Statement: Foreign Employment Issues 6 speeches
- 12 Procedural Points of Order and Privilege Questions 12 speeches
- 13 Procedural Ministerial Statements and Points of Order 11 speeches
- 14 Papers Presentation of Bills: Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill 4 speeches
- 15 Debate Debate: Colombo Port City Economic Commission (Amendment) Bill 57 speeches
- 16 Adjournment Adjournment 13 speeches
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha – Minister
AI summary An adjournment motion was moved to conclude the sitting of Parliament. The motion proposed that Parliament do now adjourn.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF
AI summary Chamara Sampath Dasanayake questioned the Minister of Environment on whether a national wild elephant census has been conducted, the current population, and the number of elephant deaths in 2025, stating that 409 deaths had been recorded amid the human-elephant conflict. He urged measures including limiting proposed cultivation releases near Palukadawala–Nakolagane, establishing monitoring near the Getadiwula bridge, improving railway lighting/signalling and driver arrangements on the Meenagaya service, standardizing electric fences, investigating hakka patas poison supplies, and protecting the tusker “Kavantissa.” He argued that continued elephant deaths, habitat loss, and train collisions threaten tourism and Sri Lanka’s elephant heritage, and called for coordinated action in 2026 to reduce deaths.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi – Minister of Environment
AI summary The Minister, replying to Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, reported that Sri Lanka’s 2024 national elephant census recorded at least 7,451 wild elephants, a 26.7% increase from 2011, while also noting changes in tusker and male elephant proportions. He disputed the claim that 2025 had the highest elephant deaths, stating that 2023 recorded 488 deaths, compared with 388 in 2024 and 409 in 2025, and attributed deaths largely to human-elephant conflict, train collisions, and Cyclone Ditta impacts. He outlined Government measures including recruitment and resource provision for wildlife services, railway safety interventions, and 2026 Budget allocations of Rs. 8.55 billion for environmental conservation, Rs. 6.4 billion for wildlife conservation, and Rs. 1 billion for elephant behaviour modification.
- The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake denied misleading the public on elephant deaths, citing media reports and his written question on inaction by previous governments. He requested verification of reports that around 12 elephants died this year in collisions involving the Meenagaya train after a driver change at Mahawa, and alleged that the driver on the Mahawa–Batticaloa leg was overage and failed to control speed. He urged the authorities to check the facts and address ongoing elephant deaths and the lack of rehabilitation or medical treatment for injured elephants.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi – Minister of Environment
AI summary The Minister of Environment disputed a Member’s claim about the year with the highest number of deaths, stating that 2023 recorded the highest figure at 488 rather than 2025. He said the claim misled or attempted to mislead the public and noted that, in the context of the Adjournment, he had answered the listed questions.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Upul Kithsiri JJB
AI summary Hon. Upul Kithsiri raised an Adjournment Question to the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation on reservoir safety following Cyclone “Diva,” focusing on concerns about the Udawalawa Reservoir after recent spilling. He asked for details on the reservoir’s construction year, objectives, storage capacity and irrigable area, and sought clarification on whether national highways run over reservoir bunds in Sri Lanka. He further questioned whether the main road on the Udawalawa bund poses a safety risk and whether the Ministry has considered alternative arrangements.
- The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Aravinda Senarath – Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation
AI summary The Deputy Minister said the Udawalawa reservoir, constructed in 1968, is a major Mahaweli irrigation system serving agriculture, drinking water supply and hydropower, with a bund-top road gazetted as the B427. He stated that vehicle movement over the bund may affect its integrity, with cracks already observed in surface concrete slabs, and that a technical report is being obtained by the Mahaweli Authority and Irrigation Department. He said only light vehicles and passenger buses are currently permitted, and if studies confirm safety risks, traffic will be stopped and diverted. The Government also plans, with the Road Development Authority, to improve an alternative road below the bund for public use.
- The Hon. Upul Kithsiri JJB
AI summary Hon. Upul Kithsiri sought clarification on the safety of the Udawalawa bund, noting that it was built in 1968, is now heavily used by tourist and local traffic, and could endanger wider areas if compromised. While accepting the Deputy Minister’s response and the existence of an alternative route, he urged that the lower alternative road be rehabilitated urgently rather than awaiting further reports, so it can be used if the bund road is closed in an emergency.
- The Hon. Aravinda Senarath – Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation
AI summary The Deputy Minister stated that the Mahaweli Authority is preparing an action plan to address the issue of an alternative road. He said the necessary interventions would be discussed and implemented promptly in coordination with the Road Development Authority, through both the Ministry and the Mahaweli Authority.