The Hon. Kabir Hashim

¶ 01 Sir, at the time of adjournment, I move the following, seeking answers from the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government:

¶ 02 “On 15.07.2025, the Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha unanimously decided to allocate Rs. 19,000,000 to implement the construction of 47 rural roads and several other development projects. However, on 11.09.2025, the Provincial Commissioner of Local Government of Sabaragamuwa, based on a directive of the Hon. Governor of Sabaragamuwa, ordered the suspension of these proposals.

¶ 03 It is the responsibility of the Pradeshiya Sabha to direct revenues earned from taxes and other funds for public service. Through this arbitrary action of the Hon. Governor, the sovereignty of the people of the Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha area has been humiliated, and the fundamental rights of the people of Mawanella have been violated.

¶ 04 By not implementing the above proposals approved by the Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha, an injustice has been caused to the taxpayers. The Hon. Governor has acted in violation of basic government policy and contrary to the law on local authorities.

¶ 05 On 12.08.2025, the General Assembly of the Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha, under Item 34, approved the recruitment of 10 health workers, and the Hon. Governor called for further information. A statement regarding the financial capacity of the Pradeshiya Sabha was also referred to the Hon. Governor on 10.09.2025. Even after two months, due to non-approval by the Governor, the management of 10 metric tons of garbage collected daily has been hindered.

¶ 06 I propose that steps be taken immediately to remove these obstacles and to implement these proposals through the Pradeshiya Sabha.”

¶ 07 Sir, our Pradeshiya Sabha is not run along party lines. Government and Opposition members together decide allocations. Revenues from taxes are divided between Government and Opposition members and also directed to common public works—temples, mosques, roads, wells, rural infrastructure. Suspending these through a petition by someone, I believe, contravenes the legal framework of Pradeshiya Sabhas. The people have a right to use these collected tax funds for local development. Therefore, stopping these approved funds is unlawful.

¶ 08 On waste removal, the President also spoke about this yesterday—it is essential. We need to recruit the necessary workers. It was said 65,000–75,000 sanitation workers would be recruited. Mawanella PS can afford to pay the workers it needs, yet that recruitment too is being dragged. Is this being done deliberately? The PS cannot act in this situation. I request the Hon. Minister to provide the necessary approval to proceed. Thank you.