The Hon. (Dr.) Elayathamby Srinath

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, a few ground realities from the North and East alongside these IP Regulations.

¶ 02 Paddy harvesting in many parts of the North and East finished as early as January, yet procurement arrangements are inadequate. In Batticaloa, though procurement has begun, there is only one storekeeper for eight paddy stores—insufficient to handle purchases. Floods have severely damaged fields; if procurement does not proceed swiftly at the controlled price, farmers will be forced to sell to private traders at very low prices. Temporarily deploy officers from other districts to ensure prompt procurement.

¶ 03 In Batticaloa, the Alayadivembu paddy store was taken over by the Army in 2022 and remains unavailable; please resolve this urgently. The Kiran Bridge becomes impassable during floods, cutting access to Eravur where major markets, schools and offices are; please include its rehabilitation in the upcoming Budget.

¶ 04 Recurrent flooding—e.g., over 80,000 cusecs released from Kithul Lake last December flooded Sittandy and Vandarumoolai—destroys crops. Prioritize the Kithul–Rugam linkage to mitigate floods. Increase Batticaloa’s storage capacity beyond the current 3,000 metric tons; the district has over 200,000 paddy holdings and needs more stores.

¶ 05 On fisheries, illegal fishing is rampant; there are insufficient officers and inadequate Navy support. Plan stronger enforcement. Establish an additional fishery harbour in Kaluwankeni, where over 200 boats operate, beyond the only harbour at Valaichchenai. Develop both marine and inland fisheries.

¶ 06 Revive the Batticaloa paper mill with modernization to create jobs and reduce imports. Promote cashew and coconut cultivation by leasing unused lands for productive use; these have major export potential and can reduce costly imports. Encourage agro‑industry projects through the relevant ministries.

¶ 07 Address long‑pending housing tenure in Eravur: families living over 50 years in small units are still without permanent title; delays put them at risk during floods and structural failures. The Eravur Urban Council must act.

¶ 08 Stop police intimidation at civilian memorial events—recently at Kokkatticholai during a remembrance for war victims, police questioned and intimidated participants. The Government had shown positive signs; this should continue.

¶ 09 Finally, create a robust economic model in Batticaloa to generate local jobs so youth need not migrate to the Middle East. I cede my remaining time to my colleague Hon. Kodiswaran.