The Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to speak on the present situation, which affects not just Sri Lanka but the entire world. I also commend the humane rescue of the Iranian sailors.

¶ 02 However, I must highlight pressing issues in Nuwara Eliya. Farmers still lack fertilizer; there is a shortage of petrol and diesel. Without fuel, agricultural machinery cannot be used, leading to setbacks in the sector. During the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period, if diesel and petrol are not adequately supplied, transport will be disrupted, affecting people’s movement and goods transport. Estates are far from towns; people need transport and therefore fuel. Please ensure special attention to this.

¶ 03 Tourism is also vital in Nuwara Eliya. By April, around half a million domestic tourists come, besides foreign visitors. If petrol and diesel are not available, tourists cannot travel, and the local economy—rooms, vegetables, fruits—will suffer. I request the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism to ensure additional fuel supplies during the April season so people can travel within the country.

¶ 04 Three-wheeler drivers are spending entire days in fuel queues. Many bought vehicles on loans and cannot service them; finance companies are pressing them. Please arrange temporary relief, including grace periods on loan repayments, especially for youths in Colombo and other cities who earn through taxis.

¶ 05 I also have a request to the Hon. Prime Minister: you are appointing 23,000 graduate teachers, which is welcome. Historically, in estate areas, appointments were given to candidates from the same estates. This practice existed under Presidents Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa. Now it is being discontinued. If so, education in the estates will suffer. Please reconsider and allocate a separate quota—3,000 to 4,000 teachers—for plantation areas. The estate community has been educationally backward for 30 years; we cannot make up that deficit quickly. Kindly ensure appointments to plantation schools. Thank you for the time.