The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, there are both supplementary questions and other comments; I will clarify. The Chairman corrected his earlier mistake in the media; thus there was no need for the question, but it’s your right. We should also appreciate that a Sri Lankan achieved a Guinness record in tea; this should please the Opposition too, as tea is a major forex earner.

¶ 02 On factory closures: some close due to mishaps, e.g., a furnace fault caused a fire at Lakshapana factory in Maskeliya; others due to management issues. A protest was held claiming Kahagalla factory would close; today I spoke to the Factory Manager. That facility processes waste tea, not green leaf; they lack the required workforce—20 present where 155 are needed—so operations suffer. We must resolve such issues. We are committed to safeguard the tea industry.

¶ 03 As to your real question on estate communities: we have invited you and Hon. Mano Ganesan to the programmes. Under the President’s leadership, on the 12th of this month at the Bandarawela public grounds we plan to issue ownership deeds for 2,056 houses to the Malaiyaha community living in line rooms, with Indian assistance. Not all deeds will be given the same day; 237 are ready and some will be symbolically handed over.

¶ 04 India and Sri Lanka together are providing 2,056 houses, each costing Rs. 3.2 million including roads, sanitation, electricity and basic infrastructure. The Malaiyaha community marked 200 years in 2023. Many governments failed to fully resolve their issues; we too cannot do it in two days, but we are addressing them systematically with 2,056 houses and 10-perch plots.