The Hon. Rathna Gamage - Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources
The Deputy Minister said recent discussions in Mannar and Mullaitivu with Defence authorities and fisheries officials led to a decision to establish a joint operations room and hotline to address local inter-district fishing intrusions, and that he would check its status and ensure follow-up on complaints. He stated that Indian fishing incursions are being addressed through diplomatic engagement with India alongside joint Navy–Department operations, with continued efforts expected to reduce incidents. On NAQDA licensing delays, he said staff shortages had prompted recruitment requests, and interim deployment of officers from other institutions would be considered to clear backlogs in the North and speed up licensing and dispute resolution.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 On local inter-district intrusions and methods: special discussions were held recently in Mannar and Mullaitivu with Defence—Navy, Army, Police—and the Department. A decision was taken to operate a joint operations room with a hotline. I will consult the Minister on its current operational status and ensure necessary follow-up and responses to complaints.
¶ 02 On Indian incursions: we continue to pursue a diplomatic resolution with India while conducting joint Navy–Department operations. Complaints indicate increased apprehensions; we expect further reduction with continued action and will intervene to the maximum.
¶ 03 On NAQDA capacity and licensing delays: NAQDA lacks sufficient officers; recruitment requests have been made. Pending recruitments, we will consider assigning officers from other institutions short-term to clear the backlog in the North and expedite licensing and dispute resolution.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 13 November 2025 ·No. 22816 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Rathna Gamage - Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 13 November 2025. No. 22816. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/26954