The Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem

¶ 01 Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

¶ 02 Mr. Presiding Member, today people have formed a Government of 159 Members aiming at good governance without ethnic or religious divisions. I begin by extending my wishes to them.

¶ 03 There are major unresolved issues in Batticaloa District. People there believe this Government will resolve them. One such is the resettlement village of Kalliyanchchai, where I request step-by-step provision of basic infrastructure. This village has a 70-year history with about 106 families who were displaced in 1990 and lived with relatives. Fifty families were settled in Jayanthiyaya through the Mahaweli Authority; the remaining 56 families have lived with relatives for 34 years without housing or access roads. A District Coordinating Committee meeting on 2001.05.10 decided to resettle them too, but no houses or roads have been provided yet. I request the Minister in charge of resettlement to take decisions and bring light to their lives.

¶ 04 Next, Eravur Hospital, about 200 years old, has been upgraded to a base hospital but lacks development works. Posts like obstetrician, pediatrician, and midwives are vacant; please fill them and provide necessary facilities immediately, Hon. Health Minister, so people receive proper services.

¶ 05 In Batticaloa District, Tamils mostly serve in Tamil areas and Muslims in Muslim areas. This must change. For example, if a Tamil is Divisional Secretary in a Tamil area, the Assistant Divisional Secretary could be a Muslim, and vice versa. From District to Province, without Sinhala-Tamil-Muslim distinctions, public officers should serve people across communities. We ask for good governance without ethnic or religious divisions.

¶ 06 On Clean Sri Lanka, despite differing views here, we must eradicate the scourge of narcotics. Many youths and families suffer due to drug abuse. To move toward a clean Sri Lanka, the Government must prioritize eliminating drugs and bring offenders—big and small—equally before the law. Today small traders are arrested while big operators escape. Please act decisively.

¶ 07 In Ragam and Vadichchal villages in Batticaloa, about 500 families live without basic infrastructure—houses, roads, or elephant fences. Due to human-elephant conflict and lack of facilities, only four students now remain in Subair Hajiar Vidyalaya, down from around 50, and people are gradually moving away. I request the responsible Minister to implement appropriate projects, including elephant fences, to protect livelihoods.

¶ 08 The Ayurveda Hospital in Eravur has operated with deficiencies for 21 years. Please provide a generator and a vehicle immediately. Thank you for the opportunity. Wassalam.