The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam

¶ 01 Our District Development Committee Chair, former MP Arun Hemachandra, told us in Trincomalee, “Buy what the people need; the Government will provide the money.” But to date, they have not even reimbursed us for giving out noodles. Still, we will buy noodles for our people now affected by floods, and we will extend all possible help. We know the Government will not do it.

¶ 02 I mention this because you are not prepared to face disaster situations. Importantly, farmers in Batticaloa District are going to be affected by floods. With the current rains, if severe flooding occurs, they will certainly suffer. If you follow the same procedure that existed in past years in Batticaloa, farmers there will incur heavy losses. What usually happens is that, after the floods, the insurance company representatives come to Batticaloa, look around, and declare that the damage is at a certain level: if 25 percent of a paddy field is affected, they pay Rs. 8,000, and if more is affected, some other amount. But in some areas, representatives do not go in and assess properly; instead, they adopt a blanket policy. As a result, farmers are adversely affected. You are not prepared for that either. Nor are you prepared to respond to the disaster itself. At the very least, please be ready to pay compensation to farmers affected by flooding.