The Hon. Ajith P. Perera
Ajith P. Perera said around 230 acres had been acquired under Section 38 for the Pelpola Investment Zone and argued that the Minister had been misinformed about litigation, stating the pending case concerned valuation of rubber cultivation rather than ownership. He said the land was suitable for an investment zone, with water, power funding and partial site preparation already in place, and requested priority action to provide nearby expressway access for Kalutara, Morontuduwa, Wadduwa and Bulathsinhala. He noted that engineers had identified a feasible access point near Bandaragama or Gelanigama after an earlier location was rejected, and said this would also support the developing 100-acre Galpatha zone.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, this is what happened. Hon. Minister, for the Pelpola Investment Zone, Section 38 was invoked and about 230 acres have been acquired. The remarks you received on litigation are wrong; officials have misinformed you. The pending case is about valuation of rubber cultivation, not ownership — Horana Plantations PLC holds leasehold, not freehold. The company appealed valuation to the Court of Appeal; the case has been pending for eight years.
¶ 02 This land is eminently suitable for an investment zone: high ground, not flood-prone, with infrastructure. Water mains are already laid underground; CEB has been funded by about Rs. 1 billion for power; site cutting is partly done. Kalutara, Morontuduwa, Wadduwa, Bulathsinhala currently have no nearby expressway access; an entrance is needed. An earlier location (where the Horana–Kalutara road crosses) was dropped due to flooding and a devalaya; one kilometre towards Bandaragama or Gelanigama, engineers have identified a suitable point benefiting both regional development and the zone. A 100-acre zone is being developed in Galpatha as well, which would also benefit from this access. Please prioritize and proceed.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 20 June 2025 ·No. 1751600792021434 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Ajith P. Perera. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 20 June 2025. No. 1751600792021434. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/1874