The Hon. Ismail Muththu Mohamed

¶ 01 Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, today, this House is debating intellectual property. I am pleased to participate. Members have spoken about protecting assets and resources in their regions. In Vavuniya District, which I represent, the most important resources—paddy and black gram cultivation—were at risk of being destroyed by floods. In this situation, we are all pleased that, to protect farmers, the Government has set a guaranteed price for paddy and initiated procurement. However, if our farmers are to bring their paddy to the place specified by our Vavuniya District Development Committee, then from Chettikulam they must travel about 40 miles, and from Nedunkerny about 50 miles. Bringing paddy to Vavuniya to sell will cause losses to farmers. This is a major concern.

¶ 03 The Chairman, Hon. Upali Samarasinghe, is here; he knows this well. Therefore, sub-offices must be established so paddy can be procured within those areas themselves.

¶ 04 Before 1990, Vavuniya District was famous for black gram production. But the Department of Forest Conservation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation encroached on cultivable lands, preventing cultivation. At the Divisional Coordinating Committee meetings held in four DS Divisions in Vavuniya, five in Mannar, and four in Mullaitivu, this was the complaint people raised, as MPs from the Vanni District have said here. To provide relief, lands held by those departments must be released to the local people. Then Vavuniya will have opportunities not only in black gram, but also in various supplementary food productions. Further, since land titles are not granted to those people, they cannot build houses, cultivate, or even construct a toilet. We all have the responsibility to consider this.

¶ 05 Vavuniya town is at a major junction. One can come to Vavuniya from Mannar, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Anuradhapura, and Trincomalee. It is a popular, crowded town. Accidents frequently occur. The reason is that on the A-9 Road, thousands of schoolchildren come out at the same time—from Vavuniya Tamil Madhya Maha Vidyalayam, Omanthai MMV, Irambaikkulam Girls’ MMV, and Vavuniya Muslim MMV. To prevent accidents, signal lights should be installed in those areas. That will help students and pedestrians.

¶ 06 For a long time, the people in these areas have not been given land permits; therefore, they suffer many hardships. They cannot transfer land to their children, obtain bank loans using land, or even get water or electricity connections. When they go to the Grama Sevaka or Divisional Secretary, they are told, “You do not have documents; nothing can be done.” Therefore, arrangements must be made to provide the necessary documents for their lands.

¶ 07 After 1990, due to extraordinary circumstances, thousands of tanks were damaged; there is no way to rehabilitate them. In some tanks, half of the bund has been demarcated by the Forest Department with boundary stones. If those tanks are to be rehabilitated, permission must be obtained. By the time permission comes, it is November or December; the allocated funds lapse. In such a situation, how can we develop those farmers? How can we encourage them? The Government must pay attention.

¶ 08 In villages of Vavuniya District, signboards have still not been properly installed; people suffer. For example, take the university situated in Salambakulam, Vavuniya. A signboard is at Nelukkulam, and the next at Poovarasankulam. In between—Pampaimadhu, Salambakulam, Chekkattipulavu—there are no signboards, causing difficulties for students and parents coming to the university. Please attend to this and take appropriate action. Thank you.