The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna
Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna asked whether the Government acknowledges that lands and properties, including those belonging to Rangiri Dambulla Rajamaha Viharaya, Bambawa Rajamaha Viharaya, and residents of Galewela and Dambulla, were legally acquired for the proposed Kurunegala-Habarana railway line via Dambulla. She sought clarification on whether those lands will be returned to their original owners, whether compensation or ex-gratia payments will be made for deterioration and loss of income over about ten years, and the procedure and timeline for such payments.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 asked the Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation:
¶ 02 LANDS ACQUIRED FOR KURUNEGALA-HABARANA RAILWAY LINE: COMPENSATION/EX-GRATIA PAYMENT
¶ 03 (a) Will he admit that:
¶ 04 (i) the Sri Lanka Railways Department, under the then Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, had prepared plans to construct a railway line from Kurunegala to Habarana via Dambulla and had commenced preliminary works thereon; and (ii) possession/tenure of the lands and properties of the Rangiri Dambulla Rajamaha Viharaya and the Bambawa Rajamaha Viharaya, and the people of the Galewela and Dambulla Divisional Secretaries’ Divisions were legally acquired by the relevant Divisional Secretaries?
¶ 05 (b) Will he inform this House: (i) whether steps will be taken to return the possession of those lands and properties taken over by the Divisional Secretaries to their original owners; (ii) if so, whether compensation/ex-gratia payment will be made for damages due to non-maintenance over about 10 years and for loss of income due to non-development; (iii) if so, the procedure followed in that regard; (iv) the date on which the said compensation/ex-gratia payment will be made; and (v) if not, whether any such payment will not be made?
¶ 06 (c) If not, why?
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Wednesday, 21 May 2025 ·No. 1749121318003248 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 21 May 2025. No. 1749121318003248. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/8048