The Hon. Chithral Fernando, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member. First, I express condolences over the tragedy in Kadugannawa.

¶ 02 Briefly, on SriLankan Airlines: We discussed last year that Rs. 20 billion was allocated for 2025, yet now a loss of Rs. 7.59 billion is reported. We wish to know what steps management is taking. This loss is not habitual; SriLankan has also made profits at times.

¶ 03 A critical issue: for eight months SriLankan Airlines has had no CEO. Does the Government not grasp the gravity of an airline—dealing with lives—operating so long without a chief executive who bears responsibility in case of incident?

¶ 04 I know they showcased an old 14-year plane, but losses keep recurring. Ground Handling and SriLankan Catering earn profits. I suggest reinvesting to increase returns—ramp up SriLankan Catering production at least to pre-Covid levels, and supply services to Emirates and other airlines to earn revenue.

¶ 05 Also, about the new Board and Chairman: since this Government came in, we have asked—what is the relationship between Hayleys and SriLankan Airlines? Mr. Sarath Ganegoda and Mr. Rohan Peiris Gunathilaka are directors at Hayleys, yet also serve as Chairman and Director at SriLankan. There has been no answer. Even if they say they draw no salary, there is an apparent conflict. Hayleys has an airline too. Why is this tolerated?

¶ 06 The Inter-Company Employees Union—where Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe formerly served—issued a notice to all staff titled “Allegations of Malpractice and Inefficiency,” stating that despite reporting corruption and fraud, the Chairman and Board failed to act, confirming their failure. Hon. Minister, you must have seen this. This is not from us; it’s from the union. Act on it. Before thinking privatization, resolve conflicts of interest and governance.

¶ 07 Finally, about Sub-Station Masters (SSMs). There are 165 sub-stations, but only about 137 SSMs. They are neglected. Under a 1906 service agreement, they are effectively in bonded labour—working 24 hours at a time. Their pay is only allowances: Rs. 7,200 plus Rs. 7,800 cost of living—total Rs. 15,000. Even the recent Rs. 10,000 COL increase has not been given to them. If their sub-station is made profitable, they may receive a minimum Rs. 10,000 commission, but only if profits exceed about Rs. 300,000; often it does not. So even with that, it is only Rs. 25,000. Yet the President says minimum public salary is Rs. 31,000–32,000, and private sector minimum about Rs. 30,000. How is it that Government workers here get only Rs. 25,000 with no promotions? Exams to appoint SSMs to Station Master roles have not been held since 2019, though external recruits were brought in. Promoting experienced SSMs would save training costs. Please address this.

¶ 08 On Colombo traffic congestion: it is estimated we lose about Rs. 1 billion per day. Under the Western Province Regional Plan—are you following CoMTrans 2012? It includes LRT and BRT. Which is being adopted? Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe’s statements made people oppose LRT. Please clarify. He also said there is no feasibility study. I have the 2018 draft final report “Preparatory Survey on the Project for Establishment of New Light Rail Transit System in Colombo” detailing costs/benefits and feasibility. Please state your position.