The Hon. Kins Nelson

¶ 01 I thought you would give me some extra time. I am very pleased.

¶ 02 Madam Deputy Chairperson, these are necessities. We must provision funds and cut red tape. Some Divisional Secretariats cannot urgently procure even ropes; officers are afraid to spend. Tell them clearly: “You have full authority; these funds are allocated to serve the people—spend without fear.”

¶ 03 On electricity: deploy the necessary technicians and restore power quickly to affected areas. Without electricity, we cannot provide drinking water. I trust special attention will be given.

¶ 04 Madam Deputy Chairperson, in my Polonnaruwa District stands the Somawathiya Raja Maha Viharaya, akin to the Sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy. As Buddhists go to worship the Sacred Tooth, so do we worship the Somawathie Stupa. With this flood, that area was under about 19–20 feet of water. Even now, rituals continue under these conditions; the monks have been going by boat to conduct the Buddha Pooja. Despite the water, the monks did not abandon the temple; they remain there. No responsible official has yet contacted the Chief Incumbent of Somawathiya Viharaya. This is shameful. At least the relevant Minister should have called, to inquire and ask what is needed.

¶ 05 Madam Deputy Chairperson, Polonnaruwa floods every year. The Polonnaruwa–Colombo–Batticaloa road is now impassable. Usually when it floods, our only alternative route is by train. Now even the railway line is fully submerged. Every year this happens, blocking travel from Batticaloa to Colombo and vice versa. I therefore propose that from Kaduruwela Town to Manampitiya we build the road as an elevated viaduct—on pillars, allowing water to flow underneath—an aerial bridge type for 7–8 kilometers if necessary. Funds should be allocated for this work.