The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament
The Minister stated that although a District Coordinating Committee decision carries political and social significance, existing licences remain valid legal instruments for companies. He said the issue should be addressed by the relevant Ministers taking responsibility and visiting the area rather than relying on correspondence, and assured Parliament that Ministers would be informed to meet affected people urgently, explain the situation, and determine the next steps.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, even if the DCC took such a decision, the law of the land exists. Licences had been issued in the past. Companies come on the strength of those legal instruments. The DCC decision has political and social weight rather than legal enforceability. That is why we proposed that relevant Ministers bear responsibility and resolve this not by letters but by going there. I assure you, Ministers will be informed to meet the people urgently, explain matters and arrange the way forward.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 19 February 2025 ·No. 1740397565032971 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake - Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House of Parliament. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 19 February 2025. No. 1740397565032971. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/11377