The Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody

Jathika Jana balawegaya· Gampaha· 18 June 2025 ·Oral question: Oral Questions: Questions 1–2 (School Projects, Ministers' Answers and Supplementaries) and Q.633/2025 (stood down), Q.636/2025 (Limestone Transport), Q.715/2025 (Kukuleganga Access Road), Q.724/2025 (Suwaseya Ambulance Service), Q.792/2025 (Bus Route Permits), Minuwangoda Shopping Complex, Tea Factories, and Social Media Provisions

Public FinanceInfrastructureCorruption & Governance Reform

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Ruwanthilaka Jayakody raised a supplementary question about alleged irregularities in the construction and allocation of shops in the Minuwangoda market complex. He said promised shop allocations to former occupants had not been honoured, many shops were closed or occupied by persons other than contracted lessees, and the complex suffered from mismanagement and sanitation problems. He asked which officials allowed these alleged illegal activities to continue and whether legal action would be taken against them.

Verbatim record (translated)

Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English

¶ 01 My first supplementary question is this:

¶ 02 Before constructing this new complex, there was an old market in Minuwangoda which, upon examination, could have been used for another 40 years with renovations. However, due to the desire of the then political authority, a new complex was built. At that time, promises were made to the occupants of the old market to allocate them new shops. After construction, that has not happened. There are also reports of large financial dealings. Some innocent persons were not given shops, while the complex is being mismanaged.

¶ 03 The complex is also not maintained properly. The sanitation system has severe issues and overflows in places; a butcher stall is located next to the underground water tank. There are 93 shops; 32 are closed, causing a loss of around Rs. 5 million. Thirty-one shops are used by persons other than the contracted lessees—reportedly relatives and associates of the former Mayor and former councillors.

¶ 04 Who are the officials who allowed such illegal activities to occur for so long, and will you take legal action against them?

Provenance

Source: Hansard, Wednesday, 18 June 2025 ·No. 1751280704002343 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Ruwanthilaka Jayakody. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 18 June 2025. No. 1751280704002343. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/6773