The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake
Ravi Karunanayake asked whether the Government has established the legal and operational framework to enable 24-hour cargo clearance at Colombo Port, beyond Sri Lanka Customs’ existing round-the-clock presence. He noted that administrative functions still operate only during office hours and holidays, unlike competing ports such as Singapore, Port Klang and Dubai, and urged adoption of a continuous 24/7 clearance model in line with references made by the President.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the next clarification I need is this. Although conditions inside the Port improved considerably, we now see signs of reverting to the old situation. When I asked for an answer about the “24 hours” concept, I did not mean Sri Lanka Customs working 24 hours, but whether you have created the legal and operational framework for clearance to be done 24 hours a day. I discussed this with the relevant Minister. Customs may have always had 24-hour operations, but administrative work is only 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., and closed on holidays. In ports like Singapore, Port Klang and Dubai—our competitors—operations run continuously 24/7. I proposed adopting that concept at Colombo Port too. The President mentioned this in Dubai and with the National Chamber of Commerce in Colombo. Hon. Prime Minister, what can the Government do to realize this?
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Monday, 24 February 2025 ·No. 1741236032093385 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 24 February 2025. No. 1741236032093385. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/11670