The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam

¶ 01 Thank you very much.

¶ 02 First, on the proposal being approved today—my colleague who spoke before me also mentioned the textile factory at Batticaloa. In fact, Jay Jay Mills Lanka Limited planned a textile factory in the export zone as far back as 2017–2018 when Wimal Weerawansa was Minister of Industries. This project has dragged on for years. As an MP representing Batticaloa District, we have opposed this proposal. The site is at Punnakuda beach, one of the best beaches after Pasikuda, and the location is earmarked for industrial use though it is an excellent area for tourism. Anyone can see Punnakuda Beach on Google Maps. This is not a policy of the present government; it comes from the previous government, with certain amendments now before us.

¶ 03 As the district MP, I ask that before proceeding, confirm whether adequate waste management will be in place so that effluent is properly treated before discharge to the sea. If the Hon. Member responds after my speech, please address this. Also, the project plans to obtain water through the National Water Supply and Drainage Board. Often, the current capacity there is insufficient; even domestic supply is short. Please examine that too. While the project is being approved, internal issues may be driving it. I could not attend yesterday’s Committee on Public Finance, but I understand approval was granted for rice imports. I request that the Government provide a proper assessment of rice needs and harvested paddy this season. In Batticaloa District, we have faced flooding for the third time in a month and a half. Some say, had floodgates been opened earlier, damage would have been reduced. I set that aside to avoid controversy.

¶ 04 On rice imports, the President himself said, “the data were wrong; based on those data we imported rice.” Going forward, many say that by April—Sinhala and Tamil New Year—there could be a rice shortage. In Batticaloa, even Food City outlets have no red rice. I went to buy some recently—none available. So do not treat this as a joke by saying there is enough rice; please investigate properly. Otherwise, we will face a serious problem: a rice shortage on the one hand, and on the other, farmers not receiving fair prices because fields and paddy have been submerged by floods. Compensation previously stated at Rs. 40,000 per hectare is only paying out about Rs. 8,000 to farmers in Batticaloa. The Government must deploy more resources now; you cannot again say later that the data were wrong. Verifying the data is the Government’s responsibility.

¶ 05 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, there are other matters. In Batticaloa, during the previous government, large extents of land belonging to the Forest Conservation Department were encroached. These are elephant corridor areas with fencing. Groups entered, cut open areas inside the fences, erected private fences and cultivated; then sold those lands after few seasons and started new plots. Ordinary Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people cannot take even a small piece from a forest reserve without being prosecuted by the Department; but in Batticaloa District—at Keviliyamaduwa village of Pattipola DS Division—large tracts have been cleared; an excavator was hidden inside the forest. This has accelerated even after this government came to office. I informed Mr. Arun Hemachandra, our District Coordinating Committee Chair; I informed Hon. MP Kandasamy Prabu. An individual named Alex, said to be the NPP organizer for Paththirippuwa, threatened the Divisional Secretary and Forest Officers for accompanying me to inspect the site. I am the people’s representative. While NPP won 21 of 22 districts, Batticaloa was won by our party—by me. Officials are duty‑bound to accompany the district MP to look into people’s issues.

¶ 06 Investigations are not enough; immediately stop the clearing and arrest those responsible. In Polonnaruwa, in grasslands designated as reserves, cattle thieves assault people and even Forest officers, demanding liquor bottles as payoff. I raised this at the District Development Committee as well. We expected different from “Clean Sri Lanka.” Cleaning buses of unsafe modifications and protecting the environment are good. But recall similar cosmetic trends under Gotabaya Rajapaksa—murals were painted, yet people rose against that government. Do not go down that path.

¶ 07 In Batticaloa, mothers expecting children were given Rs. 5,000 relief by the last government; a Divisional Secretary stole Rs. 2,000 from that. I raised it then; no action was taken. Now he has been given a transfer to the best station. These people are shielded by someone in the district—perhaps your NPP organizer—threatening local secretaries to fix bulbs within two hours, etc. We did not expect this. We defeated Pillayan’s politics there. The person in question is reportedly from Kurunegala, not even from Batticaloa. How can such outsiders threaten our officials? Parties have the right to organize, but officials also must work with the district’s elected representatives; we will not allow organizers to stage shows in Batticaloa.