The Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathyalinagam

¶ 01 There is a need, Hon. Minister, for you to pay attention to this matter. I request that your instruction to carry schoolchildren by buses be conveyed to the Sri Lanka Transport Board. Likewise, it is said there are 1,925 level crossings on Sri Lanka’s railways. Currently, only 25 level crossings in the region have guards. On our Northern railway line, accidents occur almost daily.

¶ 02 Railway level crossing guards are paid a daily wage of Rs. 250. With Rs. 250, they cannot run their family expenses, so most have left; a few still work. I asked one such guard, “Is Rs. 250 sufficient?” He said very magnanimously, “Rs. 250 is not enough. But through my efforts I have saved many lives.” Therefore, Hon. Minister, for those workers who have long served for Rs. 250 a day, please provide some form of permanent appointment and engage them in this lifesaving service. If you are unable to appoint personnel at these unsafe level crossings, please introduce an alternative plan or mechanism, at least installing signals.

¶ 03 In our district, when Omanthai railway station was re-established, a century‑old traditional pathway was blocked, and people cannot use it. Even if an alternative path was made, it is not suitable for public use. I have already discussed this with the Hon. Minister, who said he would provide a solution. According to that consultation, we will identify another alternative path and propose it for further action.

¶ 04 Similarly, when the railway track from Vavuniya to Mankulam was newly laid or repaired, provisions were not made to preserve many small paths where the railway track crosses them. Because of this, people cannot even carry a dead body from one side to the other. Hon. Minister, I request you to pay due attention to this matter as well.

¶ 05 Regarding housing, during the tenure of Sajith Premadasa as Minister of Housing, 3,349 houses in Vavuniya, 3,557 in Mullaitivu, and 2,854 in Mannar were allocated for the people. Today, however, only 13 percent in Vavuniya District and 3.7 percent in Mullaitivu District have been completed. Hon. Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing, you have brought many housing schemes. But for these schemes, people sold their property and jewellery and obtained bank loans; now they are debtors. Therefore, for housing projects that remain half-done, please provide the additional funds to enable completion.