The Hon. Arjuna Sujeewa Senasinghe, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Thank you.

¶ 02 I will forward the information I received. I believe Cabinet under the previous Government approved this proposal. Please re-submit to Cabinet, gazette, and bring it to Parliament—applying from May onwards if required.

¶ 03 At Welikada, I also saw the potential in existing machinery and inmate-run units. With minor spare parts, the laundry can be upgraded to handle hospital linen. Inmates are productively engaged—e.g., with P.G. Martin and chip assembly—working all day, generating incomes; some have savings of Rs. 500,000–600,000. Yet others languish inside for years over fines as low as Rs. 1,500–10,000. If the Ministry could coordinate CSR projects to settle such fines, many would come forward to help release them.

¶ 04 All prisons are being kept clean. I request that, with private-sector collaboration, we start 10–20 industries in every prison so that operating costs—food, clothing, electricity, and other expenses—can be offset.

¶ 05 Please also attend to the Welikada drainage system under the Municipal Council, which remains unrepaired for years despite taxes paid by the prison.

¶ 06 I wish you success. You are handling these tasks with humility. May you continue successfully. Thank you.