The Hon. Nishantha Perera

¶ 01 Madam Presiding Member, Hon. Lal Premanath’s Motion is timely. I second it.

¶ 02 Old and partially built structures are part of our national wealth, though they appear as mere concrete and steel. Many were constructed without foresight. In Elpitiya, for example, post-tsunami (around 2004), structures were built under the Pradeshiya Sabha—some at a cost around Rs. 4 million—now unused. In the 1980s, a “Jnanapradeepa Library” building was constructed without even securing land properly; cases are now in court. During COVID, despite our objections at the local authority, a building was constructed on private land at a cost of Rs. 300 million—now a total loss with no legal remedy. These were public funds, often borrowed—Sri Lanka took Rs. 2,175 billion in loans around 2022–2023.

¶ 03 The public felt the consequences not as balance-sheet entries but as fuel and gas queues, and the lack of fertilizer for farmers. These destructions were driven by political objectives. Therefore, this Motion is timely to convert such structures into productive assets. The present Government has plans to do so; I urge swift action. Thank you.

¶ 04 Question proposed.