The Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi

¶ 01 I thank the Hon. Deputy Minister for the answer. My first supplementary question is this:

¶ 02 The company I mentioned as Dole Lanka has since changed hands. The issue here is that, based on the foundation in your answer—which is not about the present Government—you say lands were properly granted. That response is based on what officials prepared. I request that you examine how lands were granted during roughly the past 10 years. To be explicit: letters under the name of Chamal Rajapaksa have granted lands by the acre without any basis. The RPM appointment as Resident Project Manager was made to suit the Minister’s needs, not on merit. Land is limited. What we need is to properly grant land to genuine project implementers in agriculture. The Dole Lanka brand name has been traded, and under that brand, individuals have obtained plots, including the 39 acres you mentioned, located within the Embilipitiya paper mill premises.

¶ 03 My first supplementary: Will you conduct an investigation into irregularities in land alienations, focusing particularly on the Embilipitiya Walawa Region of the Mahaweli Authority? Can a committee be appointed under the Minister or otherwise for a review of land grants over recent years?