The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, responding to the first supplementary question: the facts raised by the Hon. Member are correct. In Welisara there are multiple warehouses; in some, lease periods have expired. When the decision was taken to shut down the CWE, it was done without properly identifying its obligations and assets. The institution was closed without assessing its responsibilities and properties. For example, near the head office, a plot had been given to a private entity; that agreement expired in 2012. Under the 2001 agreement the monthly rent was Rs. 1.38 million. The lease ended in 2012, 13 years ago, yet the entity still pays the same rent of Rs. 1.38 million. If the institution is shut, sometimes even the land ends up de facto belonging to the lessee. Similar issues exist in Welisara.

¶ 02 After we assumed duties, we inspected several Welisara warehouses and nearby small shops that were let on rent. Many leases ended around 2021–2022. Ordinary citizens run those shops, but apart from a few, most units have been rented to lawyers who attend the adjacent court, which is behind our warehouses, entering through our premises. We, together with the Chairman of the Pradeshiya Development Committee, Hon. (Dr.) Krishantha Abeysekera, visited and inspected the site. There must be an external access road to the court; otherwise, passage is through our warehouses. There are also several small shopkeepers without agreements (10–20 sq. ft. units). We have commenced signing new lease agreements with them. Through a legal panel, we are reviewing rents and executing fresh two-year agreements.

¶ 03 CWE properties of this nature exist islandwide. We even found one in Kilinochchi yesterday. Some properties have been found leased to associates of certain politicians. Therefore, we are preparing proper documentation, obtaining prompt valuations, and taking steps to re-establish the institution. We intend to reconstitute the CWE as the “National Co-operative Wholesale Establishment” and resume intervention in wholesale trade. We have assigned a legal panel to complete, within the next few months, the valuation and execution of new agreements based on fair market values.