The Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe - Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development
Chathuranga Abeysinghe said the gem mining sector faces regulatory, legal, and land rights issues linked to past political interference and varying scales of mining activity. He noted that unpaid security deposits had required the Authority to spend Rs. 11 million in 2024 to close and rehabilitate pits. He said the Government is establishing oversight mechanisms from the District Secretary to Divisional Secretariat level and a legal support team under the Authority to strengthen enforcement and supervision.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Member, serious issues have arisen because political authorities previously diverted their power into gem mining. There are issues of regularity, legality, and land rights. Mining ranges from small pits to mechanized and large-scale operations. A security deposit (about Rs. 10,000 for small pits) is often not paid; thus, in 2024 the Authority spent Rs. 11 million to close and rehabilitate pits. We are setting up a mechanism under the District Secretary down to DS level for oversight, and a legal support team under the Authority to expedite enforcement and supervision.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Monday, 3 March 2025 ·No. 1742268353096939 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Chathuranga Abeysinghe - Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 3 March 2025. No. 1742268353096939. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/18326