The Hon. Mayilvaganam Jegatheeswaran
Hon. Mayilvaganam Jegatheeswaran raised concerns over wind power projects and ilmenite mining in Mannar, stating that current activities arise from approvals granted by previous governments and not new permissions from the present Government. He said earlier approvals lacked consultation with local communities and religious leaders, and announced a parliamentary meeting with Vanni MPs, ministers, officials, religious leaders, fisheries representatives and civil society to review the issues. He stated that the Government would consider local concerns, reassess field impacts, and make decisions aimed at protecting fishers’ livelihoods.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I speak as an MP for the Vanni District.
¶ 02 There is a very serious situation regarding wind power projects and ilmenite mining in Mannar. During our Government’s period, no new wind power permission was given in Mannar. What proceeds now are continuations under approvals and agreements given by previous governments.
¶ 03 No consultations were held with the people of Mannar or religious leaders at the time approvals were granted. Now we suffer the consequences—an orphaned project pushed through without ownership. Nevertheless, as a people-centric Government, we are prepared to consult and reach a decision the people accept.
¶ 04 Accordingly, tomorrow there will be a parliamentary meeting on the wind power and mineral sand issues with Vanni District MPs, Mannar religious leaders, fisheries leaders, district officials, civil society and community organizations, with the Energy Minister, Environment Minister and others. The people’s concerns will be considered. Approvals before November 2024 have led to current activities; however, we will ensure no harm to fishers’ livelihoods and will revisit field assessments directly and make firm decisions after consultations.
¶ 05 Thank you.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Wednesday, 6 August 2025 ·No. 1755159820030645 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Mayilvaganam Jegatheeswaran. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 6 August 2025. No. 1755159820030645. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/17182