The Hon. T.B. Sarath

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing, I provide the following answer.

¶ 02 (a) (i) Work on this project has not been halted. All construction work at the Kelaniya, Wanawasala Waste Transfer Station has been completed. As three stationary compactors have not operated according to the specifications in the tender documents, the contractor, through the foreign manufacturer, is rectifying the defects and re-installing them. This is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025. Further, selection of a private operator to undertake operations under the Government procurement process is ongoing, and by the end of October 2025, the operations are scheduled to be handed over to the selected private operator.

¶ 03 (ii) The Puttalam, Aruwakkalu solid waste facility consists of a waste transfer station and a sanitary landfill. It has been constructed in compliance with approvals granted by the Provincial Environmental Authority and the Central Environmental Authority, and it is not a failure. Its operations are scheduled to commence by the end of this year through a private entity to be selected.

¶ 04 (iii) The total allocation for the Kelaniya Waste Transfer Station, Aruwakkalu Waste Transfer Station, sanitary landfill, related infrastructure improvements, purchase of a locomotive engine, 34 railway wagons, and 94 waste containers is USD 130 million (Rs. 33,237.76 million).

¶ 05 (iv) There was no political interference. The project is not a failure; however, delays in construction were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic conditions in recent years which delayed payments to the contractor. Nevertheless, operations are scheduled to commence by the end of this year.

¶ 06 (v) All construction work on the project has been completed; only the rectification and re-installation of the three stationary compactors at the Kelaniya Waste Transfer Station remains. That too is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, enabling operations to commence thereafter.

¶ 07 (b) Not applicable.