Topic
Land & Housing
1,053 speeches · 220 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. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe, M.P. JJB | 106 |
| 2 | Hon. Anura Karunathilaka, M.P. JJB | 43 |
| 3 | Hon. Aravinda Senarath, M.P. JJB | 39 |
| 4 | Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, M.P. ITAK | 26 |
| 5 | Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna, M.P. JJB | 24 |
| 6 | Hon. Jeevan Thondaman, M.P. UNP | 22 |
| 7 | Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, M.P. JJB | 22 |
| 8 | Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan, M.P. ITAK | 20 |
| 9 | Hon. Mano Ganesan, M.P. SJB | 18 |
| 10 | Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran, M.P. ITAK | 18 |
Speeches
1,053 on this topic- 11 September 2025 The Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran ITAK AI summary Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran raised the unresolved displacement of Tamil families from Mullikulam in Mannar District, stating that despite earlier resettlement in 2002, they were forced out again in 2007 and remain unable to return to their lands. He said over 1,500 acres of private lands, irrigation tanks, houses and fishing areas are occupied by the Navy, Forest Department and other authorities, while many families live in nearby villages or refugee camps in India. He urged the House to take immediate action to release the occupied lands and resettle the Mullikulam people without delay. National Audit (Amendment) Bill Second Reading and Supplementary Estimates Debate Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. M.S. Abthul Wazeeth SLMC AI summary Hon. M.S. Abthul Wazeeth raised longstanding land grievances in Ampara arising from displacement and subsequent gazetting of traditional cultivated lands as State or Forest lands, citing specific areas in Pottuvil and Lahugala that had been identified for release. He requested review and release of affected paddy lands, including Palliyadivattai, and implementation of the 2023 decision to distribute 502 acres in the Grangowai area to people of Lahugala and Pottuvil. He also urged expedited implementation of the Heda Oya project, noting prior allocations and its potential to support irrigation over about 14,000 acres and drinking water for more than 10,000 families. He concluded by acknowledging recent support for health services, industry promotion and local administration in the area. Adjournment Debate: Fair Guaranteed Price for Paddy Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara SJB AI summary R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara argued that traditional land rights of poor farmers should be restored rather than curtailed on the basis of court cases or agency concerns. He contrasted current decisions with past good governance and UNP policies, stating that released lands had enabled farmers to prosper, while many now struggle to repay loans. He urged authorities to assess conditions on the ground, protect the environment, and support onion farmers to rebuild livelihoods and improve domestic production. Adjournment Debate: Fair Guaranteed Price for Paddy Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. R.M. Jayawardhana - Deputy Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security JJB AI summary R.M. Jayawardhana stated that the lands in question are subject to a pending court case and were vested in the Department of Forest Conservation by a 2012 Gazette. He added that a previous Coordinating Committee decision had barred entry to the forest, and said these facts remain in effect. Adjournment Debate: Fair Guaranteed Price for Paddy Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara SJB AI summary R.M. Ranjith Madduma Bandara argued that farmers have become poorer as agriculture’s GDP share has fallen and production costs have risen, and urged timely payment of fertilizer support funds to farmers’ bank accounts. He said technology adoption and yields remain weak, and highlighted onion production shortfalls, noting large import costs. He requested that traditional chena cultivation lands in Monaragala, including areas such as Kotiyagala, Ethimale and Buttala, be restored to local farmers rather than diverted to a solar project or cattle use, while emphasizing that he was not seeking new forest land. Adjournment Debate: Fair Guaranteed Price for Paddy Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Saroja Savithri Paulraj - Minister of Women and Child Affairs JJB AI summary The Minister supported the Bill to repeal the Presidents’ Entitlements Act, No. 4 of 1986, arguing that lifetime official residences, allowances, staff salaries, and utility payments for former Presidents and their widows are unjustifiable while large numbers of citizens lack housing or land. She said the Bill ends the conversion of official perks into permanent benefits, while leaving former Presidents’ pensions and security unaffected. She framed the repeal as part of a broader policy of accountable governance, responsible use of public resources, and redirecting attention to housing needs, including among marginalized communities such as plantation workers. Debate: Presidents' Entitlements (Repeal) Bill - Second Reading Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi JJB AI summary A committee has been appointed with approximately six months to provide decisions, but the Minister indicated that the Government intends to intervene and offer solutions sooner. He also undertook to examine the issue concerning sand, noting that it falls under a different category of ownership, and said action would be taken expeditiously. Ministerial Statement: Private Lands in Vanni Electoral District and Leader of House Announcement Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. K. Kader Masthan SLLP AI summary Hon. K. Kader Masthan raised concerns that Forest Department and Department of Wildlife Conservation restrictions are preventing cultivation on about 60,000 acres of agricultural land in the Vanni District, and requested urgent action to release suitable lands before the coming season. He referred to earlier district and ministerial committee processes and asked that these be expedited or that a new sub-committee be appointed, noting the potential to revive tanks, increase food production, and reduce inflation. He also called for an inquiry into sand mining permits issued by the Forest Department near riverbanks, alleging widening extraction and resource destruction, and requested measures to stop environmental damage while regulating royalties. Ministerial Statement: Private Lands in Vanni Electoral District and Leader of House Announcement Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi JJB AI summary In response to a question on land reservations in the Northern Province, it was stated that no archaeological reserves have been declared in Mannar District, while one site in Vavuniya and two sites in Mullaitivu have been gazetted as archaeological protected areas, all on government land. Details were also provided on lands used by the Tri-Forces under annual permits and on forest and wildlife reserves, including the position that settlements did not exist at the time of forest reserve declarations. The response noted that 9,123.78 hectares in Vavuniya have been identified for possible release from forest reservation, while any release of wildlife lands requires Environmental Sensitivity Assessments and Department of Wildlife Conservation approval. Ministerial Statement: Private Lands in Vanni Electoral District and Leader of House Announcement Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment JJB AI summary The Minister responded to Hon. Kader Mastan’s question on private lands acquired in the Vanni Electoral District, citing information from wildlife, forest, defence, archaeology and public security authorities. He tabled details of gazetted wildlife reserves in Mullaitivu and Mannar, noting that no wildlife reserves have been gazetted in Vavuniya, and provided district-wise extents and Gazette references. He also stated that forest reserves were marked and gazetted after post-war resettlement-related clearing, with 41,049.45 hectares in Vavuniya, 73,199.74 hectares in Mannar and 40,030.53 hectares in Mullaitivu, while noting difficulties in confirming private ownership where legal title has not been established. Ministerial Statement: Private Lands in Vanni Electoral District and Leader of House Announcement Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka JJB AI summary Hon. Anura Karunathilaka stated that the Government has begun resettlement work and allocated funds for it in the first Budget. He said 4,006 people remain to be resettled out of 38,693, and 2,025.80 acres remain to be released out of the original 23,850.72 acres. He added that further land releases are being carried out, subject to security and administrative procedures, with the aim of returning all lands to their original owners. Oral Questions: Jaffna Massacre (Q. 2-117/2024) and Displaced Persons in Valikamam North (Q. 3-1253/2025) Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan ITAK AI summary Sivagnanam Shritharan raised concerns that, 16 years after the war and one year into the Government’s term, displaced people in Valikamam North are still unable to return to their lands. He said access to the opened Palaly Road remains restricted in practice and requested the release of unused temples and other areas without military presence as a goodwill measure to enable resettlement. He asked why resettlement in Valikamam North continues to be prevented. Oral Questions: Jaffna Massacre (Q. 2-117/2024) and Displaced Persons in Valikamam North (Q. 3-1253/2025) Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka - Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing JJB AI summary The Minister responded to questions on resettlement in Valikamam North, stating that 38,693 of the 42,699 registered displaced persons had been resettled, while 4,006 persons remain. He said 2,583.05 acres of land remain under tri-forces control after 2009, including 2,025.80 acres in Valikamam North, and that 57.39 acres have been released since the Government took office. He outlined the policy of resettling displaced persons on original lands, with further releases subject to consultation, security clearance, administrative requirements, and infrastructure availability, and cited allocations of Rs. 1,259.568 million in 2025 for Jaffna housing and infrastructure projects. Oral Questions: Jaffna Massacre (Q. 2-117/2024) and Displaced Persons in Valikamam North (Q. 3-1253/2025) Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan ITAK AI summary Asked under Standing Order 27(2) why residents of 13 GN Divisions in Valikamam North, Jaffna, displaced since 1990 due to the Palaly camp, military presence and shelling, remain unable to return 15 years after the war. He said over 2,700 acres in areas including Vasavilan, Kattuvan, Myliddy and Palaly remain inaccessible, with families still living in camps or with relatives. He requested from the President and Minister of Defence figures on displaced families and land held as High Security Zones, reasons for continued non-release, actions taken during the past year, and a clear timeline or explanation regarding resettlement. Oral Questions: Jaffna Massacre (Q. 2-117/2024) and Displaced Persons in Valikamam North (Q. 3-1253/2025) Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka - Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing JJB AI summary The Minister provided details of Urban Development Authority projects in the Gampaha Divisional Secretariat Division, with annexes placed in the Library listing major projects from the past decade and planned future developments. He stated that two projects remain incomplete: the Gampaha Public Market Complex, scheduled for completion in August 2026 at an estimated cost of Rs. 634 million, and the Makewita Nelum Wila Walkway, scheduled for completion in 2027 at an estimated cost of Rs. 26.14 million. Planned projects include transport hubs, park-and-ride facilities, pedestrian and bicycle corridors, market and shopping complex development, medium-income housing, bus terminal and rail-parking upgrades, service town development, and urban beautification works. Oral Question: UDA Projects in Gampaha DS Division (Q.4-1254/2025) Read →
- 10 September 2025 The Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi SJB AI summary Hon. Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi raised concerns about the tea sector, noting its major contribution to export earnings and arguing that targeted interventions could further expand it. He asked the authorities to address growers’ complaints about fertilizer quality and timely supply. He also alleged that some state-leased estates, including Egbert Estate in Kolonna under Maturata Plantations, had moved away from tea into hotels, subleasing and mining, and called for monitoring and corrective action against such practices. Oral Question: Tea Smallholder Contribution to Production (Q.1/2024) Read →
- 9 September 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe stated that the status of the land must first be clarified, including whether it is State land, LRC land, or land leased to an individual. He said any project proposal and possible allocation would depend on those details, and if the land belongs to the LRC, an application could be submitted for consideration of allocating a portion. Oral Question: LRC Lands Allocated for Industrial Purposes - Kegalle District (Q.1250/2025) Read →
- 9 September 2025 The Hon. Nanda Bandara JJB AI summary Nanda Bandara asked whether five acres from Debathgama Watta in the Kalugala area, within Aranayake DS, could be taken over by the State for a long-needed waste recycling centre. He said the approximately 800-acre land has unclear ownership, with the purported private owner unable to substantiate title and the Land Registry unable to verify clear title. Oral Question: LRC Lands Allocated for Industrial Purposes - Kegalle District (Q.1250/2025) Read →
- 9 September 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe JJB AI summary The Hon. (Dr.) Susil Ranasinghe stated that he could not confirm whether the Land Reform Commission holds suitable land in the relevant locality for resettlement. He said that if suitable land is identified at divisional level, an application may be submitted to the LRC to have it vested for that purpose. Oral Question: LRC Lands Allocated for Industrial Purposes - Kegalle District (Q.1250/2025) Read →
- 9 September 2025 The Hon. Nanda Bandara JJB AI summary Hon. Nanda Bandara raised the issue of unresolved resettlement following the 2016 Samasara Kanda landslide in the Aranayake DS Division. He noted that some homeowners identified as highly vulnerable under the second and third phases still lack relocation land and are instructed to evacuate during heavy rains, and asked whether a portion of LRC land could be allocated to the Aranayake DS Division for their resettlement. Oral Question: LRC Lands Allocated for Industrial Purposes - Kegalle District (Q.1250/2025) Read →