The Hon. Rohana Bandara

¶ 01 Madam Deputy Chairperson of Committees, we still have not learned from nature. Linking to the previous Deputy Minister’s speech, we remain fixated on Mahaweli—blaming or defending. The real discussion should be on whether development after Mahaweli was carried out systematically. Do not use this to mask your shortcomings.

¶ 02 Your own Minister Sunil Handunnetti said, “We put the Nilwala river to sleep.” If you could put Nilwala to sleep, why not Kalu Ganga, Kelani Ganga, or Malwathu Oya? You flew to Batticaloa after making statements. You cannot divert one river and let others flood, then later drag out old silt. Instead of politicizing, focus on getting out of the present disaster.

¶ 03 People believe that for years compensation was not paid properly and that only after this Government came were payments made. Fine—then pay properly. In our Anuradhapura DCC, 21,913 families were recorded as affected; but only 15,000 were selected for the Rs. 25,000 grant, and over 30% of those have not yet received it. Why were 6,000 left out? If an officer asks, “You don’t need it, right?” some people may decline out of modesty. But if someone is eligible, humanity demands we pay them. Do not stop at 15,000 if 21,913 were affected.

¶ 04 Another issue: to clean urban homes, people used large amounts of National Water Supply and Drainage Board water; December bills will be high and unaffordable, with tariff blocks also penalizing heavy use. They used this water not for normal use but to clean and restore flood-hit homes. Can we reduce or waive December water bills for affected households?

¶ 05 On agriculture, there are many issues with compensation for partial damage. Please address these so farmers can return to normal.

¶ 06 We also saw the Government holding ceremonies to distribute death certificates, complete with names called, photos taken, even people raising hands. Do not turn death certificate distribution into a spectacle.

¶ 07 Meanwhile, how were Police top brass blind to this: every police station is to be supplied with a plate and cup procured via specs tailored for a single company. A plate that costs Rs. 420 in the market is priced at Rs. 1,040; a cup that costs around Rs. 100 is priced at Rs. 400. Good local ceramic plates cost less than Rs. 1,000, yet these are plastic—tendered to buy only from one company. Is somebody taking a commission? While people suffer from floods, corruption continues—even in the Police, who are supposed to fight it. We mourn those who died in Anuradhapura and those whose property and livelihoods were lost. Thank you.