The Hon. M.S. Abthul Wazeeth

¶ 01 Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, Pottuvil, Panamai and Lahugala are renowned for tourism. I request the Government to establish a Faculty for Tourism at the South Eastern University, for which state land has already been allocated in the Pottuvil DS Division.

¶ 03 In the Nintavur DS Division north of the SEUSL, a bridge damaged by the 2024 floods remains unrepaired after a year; only a temporary bridge exists, disrupting traffic from Kalmunai to Akkaraipattu. Please urgently repair it to restore smooth transport from Pottuvil to Batticaloa.

¶ 04 Circulars sent in Sinhala to state institutions lack timely Tamil translations, causing administrative delays. Please appoint qualified translators to ensure prompt bilingual communication.

¶ 05 In the Akkaraipattu Education Zone (Akkaraipattu, Attalaichenai and Pottuvil divisions), there is a shortage of over 300 teachers. Address this urgently within this year. Students studying in English medium from Grades 6–11 are sometimes forced back to Tamil medium in senior grades due to lack of subject teachers. Also, only a few schools have computers and smart boards; extend these facilities to all schools to enable modern education. Akkaraipattu MMV has 850 students but more than ten teacher vacancies, especially in Mathematics and Science, and lacks other resources.

¶ 06 The Nintavur District Vocational Training Centre runs eight courses, but many machines and computers are not in usable condition. Please complete the pending building works and provide new sewing machines, computers, servers and related equipment. The Pottuvil VTC conducts four courses with over 80 trainees; the building requires repairs, and additional job-oriented programmes—such as beauty care, IT and home décor—should be introduced. Despite difficulties, I thank Mr. Iffham, Mr. Mansoor and Mr. Harik for their service.

¶ 07 At Attalaichenai Al-Hidaya Girls’ College, a three-storey building with an assembly hall is needed, considering the needs of girl students. In Attalaichenai DS Division, expand Palamunai-03 Beach Road and its small bridge, and install modern streetlights on Government Road, Main Road and Thiraikkeani Road to prevent accidents. I thank A.L.M. Raneez for bringing these to my attention.

¶ 08 Teacher appointments should be based on divisional vacancies to avoid chronic shortages. Pottuvil needs about 400 teachers but has only 250, of whom over 70 commute from outside. Allow them to serve in their home areas and appoint teachers to local vacancies to resolve the issue.

¶ 09 Finally, government vehicles are being allocated to state offices including DS divisions. Please ensure Pottuvil MOH, DS, Chairman, Municipal and Provincial officials receive vehicles appropriate to their needs. Provide machinery to local authorities—motor grader, JCB, fire engine, beach-cleaning machine, tractor, water bowser—for the Pottuvil Pradeshiya Sabha to deliver services in this tourism area. Appoint a permanent Irrigation Engineer to the provincial Irrigation Office so farmers benefit, and increase Tamil-speaking officers in Pottuvil. How can a Sinhala-only officer function in an office serving 100 per cent Tamil speakers? Please act. Thank you.