The Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha

¶ 01 Hon. Minister, thank you for the detailed reply on the Bingiriya Export Processing Zone, which I initiated in 2018 as Deputy Minister for Development Strategies and International Trade. I raise this to inform the country and new MPs. Bingiriya is a major EPZ expandable to about 1,200 acres, with 284 acres in Phases 1 and 2. Of 14 BOI zones, this is now the primary location with available land; many other zones—Mirigama, Wathupitiwala, Katunayake, Seethawaka, Koggala—are full; Hambantota has land. A clarification: the BOI figure of Rs. 290 million seems inaccurate. NLDB land purchases and internal roads plus the water project alone exceed that—over Rs. 300 million for water and Rs. 64 million for election-related payments for land, etc. Please recheck the numbers.

¶ 02 Further, 16 investors have come in; I believe a new one arrived recently which may not be reflected. My question: will you allocate funds in this Budget for a sea outfall and for raw water intake from the Deduru Oya? Some industries do not require fully treated water, and a sea outfall is necessary given the coast is about 10 km away.