The Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe - Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation
The Deputy Minister stated that the Yan Oya Reservoir Project, though initially foreign-funded, was later implemented with Government funds and has left affected residents without compensation, alternative land, or paddy fields for over a decade. He said a seven-member committee, chaired by former Secretaries M.K. Dissanayake and Sarath Wijesinghe, was appointed to review the issue and has submitted its report after field visits and consultations. Based on its recommendations, the Ministry is proceeding with compensation payments and provision of alternative lands, with a target to complete compensation within the year using allocated funds.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, as I stated, the Yan Oya Reservoir Project began under foreign assistance but shifted to be implemented by the Department of Irrigation with Government funds. Despite more than 10 years, many people still suffer—no alternative lands, no compensation, no paddy fields. There have been protests, and officials are under pressure.
¶ 02 After we assumed office, as per our Minister’s instructions, we appointed a 7-member committee chaired by two former Secretaries, M.K. Dissanayake and Sarath Wijesinghe. I thank them. We have received the report and, based on its recommendations, we are proceeding with compensation and provision of alternative lands. Our target is to complete compensation within this year, with funds allocated.
¶ 03 I also thank the committee members for their voluntary and diligent work, including field visits, stakeholder consultations, and on-site inspections. We are now proceeding to make the payments.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Thursday, 9 October 2025 ·No. 22973 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe - Deputy Minister of Land and Irrigation. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 9 October 2025. No. 22973. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/7500