Topic
Infrastructure
2,546 speeches · 378 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, M.P. JJB | 137 |
| 2 | Hon. Kumara Jayakody, M.P. JJB | 105 |
| 3 | Hon. Anura Karunathilaka, M.P. JJB | 83 |
| 4 | Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P. NDF | 76 |
| 5 | Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe, M.P. JJB | 62 |
| 6 | Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, M.P. ITAK | 47 |
| 7 | Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa, M.P. JJB | 46 |
| 8 | Hon. Ajith P. Perera, M.P. SJB | 43 |
| 9 | Hon. (Dr.) Prasanna Gunasena, M.P. JJB | 36 |
| 10 | Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, M.P. JJB | 34 |
Speeches
2,546 on this topic- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Lal Premanath JJB AI summary Hon. Lal Premanath moved a Private Member’s Motion urging the Government to identify and rehabilitate unused or incomplete buildings constructed with foreign aid, loans, or public funds, arguing that many have become wasted assets and safety or public health risks. He said such structures include hospitals, schools, offices, community halls and sports facilities, while public institutions continue to spend on rented premises. He proposed a nationwide census, a detailed status report, and a multidisciplinary expert committee with community consultation to assess rehabilitation needs and suitable public uses. He also called for transparent implementation and funding through the Budget, private investment, foreign assistance, PPPs, or reallocation of inactive state funds. Private Members' Motion (P.38/2025): Utilization of Abandoned Development Projects Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Ravindra Bandara AI summary Hon. Ravindra Bandara noted that Budget allocations for development projects are expected to be fully utilized within the year, highlighting funding for rural roads, rural bridges, and the Mullaitivu–Vaddavadukkal bridge, with significant allocations to the Northern Province. He said public transport reforms should define Government specifications for buses suited to urban, rural, and hill routes, and referred to allocations for 100 low-floor buses and proposals for 200 more. He also called attention to the potential for domestic bus production and the working conditions and revenue pressures faced by private bus crews, while expressing cross-party support for improving public transport. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Prasanna Gunasena - Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister outlined the policy process on minimum specifications for public passenger buses, noting Cabinet and Sectoral Oversight Committee consideration in 2023 and 2024, and stating that Cabinet approved permit and fleet-replacement compliance measures but did not approve declaring the specifications as national policy or legislating import restrictions. He said the Ministry plans to use the Rs. 3,000 million Budget allocation to import higher-standard buses, including low-floor and expressway models, expand the SLTB fleet, and begin a gradual transition to electric buses through investor engagement. He also referred to the National Transport Commission (Amendment) Bill, which would expand regulatory powers over other passenger transport modes, and announced forthcoming enforcement against non-compliant decorative bus modifications. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. B. Ariyawansha SJB AI summary Hon. B. Ariyawansha supported the Motion but argued that importing only luxury buses would not address rural and hill-country transport needs because such vehicles are costly and unsuitable for some routes. He requested concessions for private bus operators to purchase compliant buses, noting their significant role in passenger transport alongside SLTB. He also called for improvements to poor road conditions, citing the Embilipitiya–Sooriya Kanda and Colombo–Ratnapura–Embilipitiya roads, and urged SLTB to deploy more buses for rural communities and schoolchildren. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Kitnan Selvaraj JJB AI summary Kitnan Selvaraj supported the Motion on improving public transport, arguing that estate communities in the plantation highlands have faced inadequate transport links for decades despite the establishment and restructuring of national transport bodies. He cited continuing difficulties for workers and students in Badulla District, including the unresolved aftermath of a serious SLTB accident on the Poonagala–Bandarawela route. He said past governments failed to use available mechanisms, including under the 13th Amendment, to improve inter-provincial transport, and endorsed the current Government’s plan to strengthen public transport with modern buses and better estate-to-town connectivity. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna Independent Group 17 - Jaffna AI summary Supported the Private Member’s Motion on public transport while recording that the Northern (Nagalingam) Omnibus Company, founded in 1938 by his father with 160 buses, preceded the establishment of the CTB in 1958 and was later acquired into it. He urged the Transport Minister to repair buses in the North and East and criticized the Government for not delivering material improvements there despite electoral support, asking it to be transparent about available funds and implementation capacity. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Thushari Jayasingha, Attorney-at-Law JJB AI summary Hon. Thushari Jayasingha argued that Sri Lanka’s public transport remains inadequate, overcrowded, and unsafe, particularly for working women who face daily indignities including sexual harassment. She supported importing buses designed for passenger transport rather than lorry-chassis buses, and emphasized the need for accessible, low-floor buses for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. She also linked improved public transport to workers’ dignity, tourism, and the needs of future generations. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Dinindu Saman Hennayake JJB AI summary Dinindu Saman Hennayake seconded Ravindra Bandara’s Motion to import only buses meeting public transport standards, arguing that past mismanagement and politicization weakened the CTB/SLTB and reduced service quality. He said the National People’s Power Government’s manifesto prioritizes strengthening public transport, including for rural communities, and noted Budget plans to import 1,000 new buses. He cited the repair of 65 buses by Lakdiv Engineers and SLTB revenue of Rs. 204 million per day in April as recent measures, and called for ending the use of lorry-chassis and lorry-engine buses in favour of safer, more comfortable public transport. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Ravindra Bandara AI summary Hon. Ravindra Bandara supported the proposal to modernize public transport, citing past school bus accidents and the risks posed by ageing buses. He emphasized the need to improve passenger comfort and accessibility, including low-floor buses for persons with disabilities, and referred to Budget plans for new buses and further SLTB procurement. He also argued that better public transport is important for tourism and Sri Lanka’s image as a destination. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Ravindra Bandara AI summary Hon. Ravindra Bandara moved a Motion urging the Government to legislate that future bus imports for both SLTB and private operators must be purpose-built for passenger transport, comfortable, and compliant with public transport standards, rather than bodies built on lorry chassis. He argued that current buses cause safety, comfort, maintenance, environmental and service-quality problems, particularly on long-distance routes, while noting that import policy should also account for rural and estate road conditions through suitable vehicle sizes. He linked the proposal to the Government’s policy vision and the Clean Sri Lanka programme, and raised concerns about competition between SLTB and private buses, private bus associations’ influence, passenger inconvenience, tourist impressions, and inappropriate practices such as loud music in buses. Private Members' Motion (P.37/2025): Public Transport Standards and Bus Specifications Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka JJB AI summary Hon. Anura Karunathilaka outlined planned housing projects across several areas, including schemes supported by Indian assistance in Maduluwawa Sobitha Gama, Mannar and Mullaitivu, and Chinese-assisted apartments in Peliyagoda, Dematagoda, Mannar, Kottawa and elsewhere. He stated that, despite state and donor support, the country remains far from meeting an estimated one million housing need, and said the Ministry, NHDA and Urban Settlement Development Authority will formulate a new integrated national housing policy with new concepts and a more structured approach. Private Members' Motion (P.25/2024): Providing Housing for Every Family in Sri Lanka Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka - Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing JJB AI summary Minister Anura Karunathilaka said Sri Lanka faces a housing need of about 937,678 units, with nearly 495,520 existing houses requiring upgrading or reconstruction, and argued that past housing projects often failed due to poor planning and weak implementation frameworks. He cited incomplete NHDA projects from 2017–2018 and failed housing villages in Hambantota as examples of unsustainable planning. He stated that the Government’s policy is to ensure a safe home for all, with the Ministry’s agencies supporting 1,764 houses this year, increasing the grant from Rs. 600,000 to Rs. 1,000,000, and planning to hand over urban regeneration units in Colombo, including at Kirulapone and Stadium Gama, later in the year. Private Members' Motion (P.25/2024): Providing Housing for Every Family in Sri Lanka Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Ravi Karunanayake argued for a supply-side, practical housing strategy linked to industrial investment, citing Malaysia’s experience and proposals received from Turkey and China. He said BOI-supported prefabricated housing could be built quickly at around Rs. 1.1 million per unit and urged tailored housing models for urban, agrarian, estate, fisheries, indigenous, war-displaced and village communities. He questioned whether the national housing deficit exceeds 580,000 and called for cross-party cooperation to address it within 10 years, with J.C. Alawathuwala seconding the Motion. Private Members' Motion (P.25/2024): Providing Housing for Every Family in Sri Lanka Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake moved a Resolution calling for every household head to be facilitated to purchase, build or rent a home, framing housing as a non-partisan national priority linked to family security and economic revival. He cited past Sri Lankan housing initiatives and international examples, and stated that the country faces an estimated shortage of 400,000 to 500,000 housing units, including significant needs in Colombo, Gampaha and the Northern Province. He proposed replacing poor urban settlements with flats, expanding access through State and private financing channels, and treating a large-scale housing programme—estimated at about Rs. 2,500 billion for 500,000 homes—as a feasible supply-side economic intervention. Private Members' Motion (P.25/2024): Providing Housing for Every Family in Sri Lanka Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB AI summary Hon. Sajith Premadasa raised a health service issue concerning Kalutara Hospital, stating that it has been without a CT scanner for one and a half years. He requested urgent action to release the replacement scanner, which he said has been at the Port since 14 February. Standing Order 27(2) Questions and Matters of Urgent Public Importance Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Sunil Handunnetti - Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development JJB AI summary The Minister tabled answers regarding the Raigama Industrial Estate, stating that 16 acres, 1 rood and 20 perches have been allocated to 21 investors, with 1,408 perches still available. He said investors were notified on 7 April 2025 to begin work, while internal roads, water supply and electricity infrastructure are still being developed after delays caused by protests, a work stoppage after 2019, COVID-19 and the economic crisis. He also stated that investors are seeking approvals, some have applied for space in the administrative building, and the Government has spent Rs. 87.96 million on that building, with allocation to follow after valuation. Oral Questions - Second Round (Q.2/2024, Q.3/2025, Q.4/2025, Q.5/2025, Q.6/2025) Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe - Deputy Minister of Tourism JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister of Tourism said leased properties would be revalued by the Government Valuation Department and regularized at market-based lease rates. He added that inquiries are underway into past releases of Land Reform Commission lands, with temporary suspensions on alienations, and that the Government would seek to secure land required for tourism projects once those inquiries are completed. Oral Question: National-Level Stadiums in Northern and Eastern Provinces (Q.1/2024) Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. (Prof.) Ruwan Ranasinghe - Deputy Minister of Tourism JJB AI summary Responding on behalf of the Minister, the Deputy Minister stated that the Mahiyanganaya tourist centre covers 6,928 square metres and was built at a cost of Rs. 10,394,662.02 by the Uva Provincial Ministry of Tourism to provide facilities for local and foreign tourists. He said it is currently leased to Mr. Ravindra Anura Widanagama for Rs. 36,000 per month, and that the original objective does not appear to be fulfilled under the present arrangement. He added that leased state properties under the Ministry are to be revalued by the Government Valuation Department and re-leased under proper market conditions and procedures. Oral Question: National-Level Stadiums in Northern and Eastern Provinces (Q.1/2024) Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Dinindu Saman Hennayake JJB AI summary Asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism for details on the tourist comfort centre established in Mahiyanganaya by the Uva Provincial Ministry of Tourism. He sought information on the premises’ size, construction cost, purpose and whether that purpose had been achieved, as well as whether the building had been leased, the lessee’s name and the monthly rent. Oral Question: National-Level Stadiums in Northern and Eastern Provinces (Q.1/2024) Read →
- 9 May 2025 The Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage - Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports JJB AI summary Funds have been allocated in 2025 to develop sports facilities in underserved districts of the North and East, particularly Batticaloa and Trincomalee. The Minister stated that Rs. 400 million has been set aside for targeted programmes, including constructing new playing fields and upgrading basic facilities such as volleyball courts into larger sports complexes, to address the lack of infrastructure and support local sporting talent. Oral Question: National-Level Stadiums in Northern and Eastern Provinces (Q.1/2024) Read →