The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake

¶ 01 Thank you, Madam Deputy Chairperson. Addressing two major Ministries on the same day reduces our speaking time, but I will be concise.

¶ 02 We appreciate modernization of the Department of Railways under Minister Bimal Rathnayake; it must be radical. If you cannot deliver, say so and make way. Also, “wake-up calls” to the public service are welcome, but they must be backed with accountability. We still spend around Rs. 5 million monthly on overtime; if 100% overtime is normalized, the problem starts there.

¶ 03 Electrifying the Kelani Valley line in Colombo District is essential and will be profitable. We must also consider track sharing and engine sharing with the private sector. Given fiscal limits, the private sector must be leveraged; otherwise in another two years we will still be talking.

¶ 04 Restarting the Kadawatha–Meerigama section of the expressway is good. But because of delays—including issues like reluctance to remove protected trees—the project cost rose from Rs. 158 billion to Rs. 375 billion. Please watch cost-to-delivery. If completion is targeted for 2028, hedge the Yuan exposure; otherwise we could face issues similar to past Yen loans.

¶ 05 Proceed with the Ruwanpura Expressway under a design–build–operate–transfer model with deficit financing; the Government alone cannot deliver it.

¶ 06 On the New Kelani Bridge and road connectivity: extend planned links from Kelaniya through Athurugiriya further to Pannipitiya if possible, and use private sector participation.

¶ 07 Where court judgments require retendering, do so. Consider elevated expressways through wetland areas if environmental impacts can be responsibly managed. We must balance environment with people’s needs.

¶ 08 On UDA: formalize title transfer for the North Colombo housing already built. There are 23,000 units in Colombo District still without deeds; regularize them. About 3,800 units remain unoccupied—resolve this. This is a prime moment for PPPs: combine state lands with private capital, value land correctly, and capture fair value when disposing or partnering. The UDA can drive economic transformation if we prioritize practicality over rigid state valuations and focus on cost–benefit analysis.

¶ 09 Ports and Civil Aviation are vital. The Civil Aviation Authority is owed Rs. 26 billion by SriLankan Airlines. Private airlines also owe: AirAsia Rs. 88 million, Thai AirAsia Rs. 221 million, FitsAir Rs. 2,100 million. Why haven’t these sums been collected and transferred to the CAA?

¶ 10 On BIA congestion: adding check-in counters helps, but the core constraint is slot allocation—30 slots are insufficient. Convert and use the VVIP terminal to alleviate congestion immediately, as we have repurposed other state properties. Increase throughput pragmatically.

¶ 11 Security restrictions over Parliament airspace should not stifle aviation commerce—manage risk intelligently as global hubs do. Develop Ratmalana as a business aviation and regional turboprop hub (Dash 8, ATR 72, Bombardier, Learjet). Runway is about 5,800 feet; if we can annex space by reconfiguring the adjacent dump, A320/B737 operations could be possible. I will submit the proposal; former Minister Bimal Rathnayake also supported such ideas. Use PPPs with minimal state capital to attract high-end tourism.

¶ 12 On claims that “we could have reached three million tourists if BIA had expanded”: history had queues, bomb scares—focus on solutions. Again, use the VVIP terminal to add roughly 14 additional flights per day.

¶ 13 Shipping: like Ceylon Tea and Ceylon Cricket, we must brand “Ceylon Ports.” Thanks to containerization, Sri Lanka ranks around 18th globally, but to keep advancing we need connectivity-based competitiveness and a coherent port strategy across Colombo, Hambantota, and Trincomalee. Bypass of Sri Lanka by mainline vessels is a serious threat; professionals must lead the response. Develop an industry-driven policy. ECT delays hurt; cancelling tenders led to cancelling 30 straddle carriers. Ordering only 15 when 30 are needed, with 18 months’ lead time, creates shortfalls. Why did this happen?

¶ 14 We rank 73rd in the Logistics Performance Index; given our port stature we must do better. Establish a national port strategy, not just for Colombo but also Hambantota and Trincomalee. Revive a regional carrier model via Ceylon Shipping Corporation, at least as a coastal/intra-regional feeder without large capex—charter and bundle tonnage, as is done for coal. Hambantota needs modern container handling; if the private operator cannot scale, the Government must intervene to ensure production levels needed for economic viability.

¶ 15 Our handling times are lagging: South Africa 2.8, Australia 1.88, UAE 1.18, India 0.9 (faster). We must integrate and execute fast. Decision-making is crucial—stop deferring.

¶ 16 Thank you.