The Hon. (Prof.) A.-H.M.H. Abayarathna
The Minister acknowledged that the lack of fire service units is an issue not only in Mannar but in other parts of the country as well. He said earlier requests from local authorities could not be funded by the Treasury due to the economic situation, so the Government is seeking external assistance. Discussions with Korea are underway for material, technical and capacity-building support, while World Bank-funded proposals worth Rs. 60.5 million have been prepared for fire units in Mullaitivu and Mannar, with further action being taken by the Northern Provincial administration.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the matter raised by the Hon. Member is correct. This situation is not limited to Mannar; similar issues exist elsewhere in the country. Specifically, regarding measures taken:
¶ 02 - Local authorities continuously request central government funding to establish fire service units. Although such requests, together with project reports, were previously forwarded to the National Planning Department, due to the economic situation, the Treasury could not allocate funds. - Therefore, we have engaged with external development partners to secure foreign aid for establishing fire service units.
¶ 03 Current progress: - We have conducted discussions with the Government of Korea to obtain material assistance, technical support, and capacity development for fire service units; the Korean Government has agreed in principle. - For the Northern Province—Mullaitivu (maritime Pradeshiya Sabha jurisdiction) and Mannar (Mannar Municipal Council area)—two project proposals amounting to Rs. 60.5 million have been prepared to seek World Bank assistance for establishing fire units. The Chief Secretary of the Northern Province has informed that further steps are underway.
¶ 04 We will strive to establish these fire service units as soon as possible as requested.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Wednesday, 5 March 2025 ·No. 1742473561091594 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Prof.) A.-H.M.H. Abayarathna. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 5 March 2025. No. 1742473561091594. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/2270