2024-06-24
News Categories : Committee News
Attention directed towards drinking water issue suffered by people of Avissawella for 29 years - People allege that the reason is unauthorized gem mining
The Committee on Ways and Means of Parliament met on 20.06.2024 under the Chairmanship of Member of Parliament Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, at the Parliament premises.
Whilst the Budget 2024 report prepared by the Verité Research Institute was taken up for discussion here, the representatives of the said institute made an introduction regarding their report to the Committee on Ways and Means. By providing a background on the objectives of the report and the budgeting process in Sri Lanka, attention was drawn to the various shortcomings in the 2024 budget. The report states that since 1991, Sri Lanka's failure to meet budget targets has continuously increased the budget deficit. Furthermore, this report presented data on the revenue targeted by the 2023 budget, the revenue collected as well as the revenue expected to be collected through the increase in tax rates for the year 2024.
The Chair of the Committee requested the representatives of Verité Research Institute to calculate whether the expected revenue from the Value Added Tax is a realistic value. Moreover, he requested that a report be submitted on the impact of inflation on government revenue during the period 2022 – 2024 to the Committee on Ways and Means Committee.
In addition, a request was made to provide a research report related to the property tax proposed by the government to the Committee on Ways and Means. The Committee's next focus was on a petition submitted by five petitioners living in the Avissawella area. Accordingly, attention was paid to check the supply of drinking water mixed with mud by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board.
Accordingly, the Avissawella center of the National Water Supply Board revealed that the drinking water provided to the people of Avissawella and Talduwa for about 29 years is in a very feculent condition, and it was revealed that about 33,000 people in 8752 water connections are affected by this.
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board stated that this situation has developed due to the damage to the water treatment system due to the unauthorized and irregular dredging of the Sitawaka river. The Chair of the Committee inquired whether a formal investigation was conducted and a complaint was made to the Gem and Jewelery Authority regarding this situation, and the Water Supply and Drainage Board stated that although complaints were made to the Gems and Jewelery Authority, the Police and the Central Environment Authority in this regard, A proper solution was not found.
As the existing water treatment system is about 50 years old, a proposal for a new water treatment system (Rs. 1600 million) has been prepared as a solution, and it was also revealed that a tender call has not been made yet. It was also stated that it will take a long time of 2 years to complete the entire process. Furthermore, the petitioners pointed out that if it is possible to obtain water from the area 500 meters above the current water intake location, there will be a solution.
The Committee Chair, Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka instructed that the existing system will have to be shut down for about two weeks at the start of the two-year process, so that a temporary alternative for water supply should be found during that period. The Chair instructed to check the possibility of getting water supply connection from Kalatuwa area and to convene another meeting to discuss this matter on the 10th of the coming month for this purpose.
In addition, the Committee Chair informed the National Water Supply and Drainage Board to give a report regarding the approximate cost of the low-cost project that can be brought as an alternative to the proposed water treatment system, which is currently estimated at 1600 million rupees. It was also advised to submit a report regarding the determination (Time Line) before the Committee.
2026-07-22
The draft Terms of Reference (ToR) prepared for the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative was approved recently at a meeting held in Parliament with the participation of Parliament's development partner organizations.The approval was granted during a meeting of the Caucus chaired by its Co-Chair, Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakkiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.The draft Terms of Reference was developed based on proposals and recommendations received during a workshop organized by the Caucus in recent months to gather stakeholder input for its preparation.The meeting also agreed that, following the approval of the Terms of Reference, the document would be submitted to Hon. President, and that a discussion would be held with the President on behalf of the Caucus.
2026-07-22
The Sub-Committee appointed by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on the methodology, implementation timeline and coordination arrangements relating to the research study proposed for the restructuring of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE), when it met recently, at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Ruwan Mapalagama.During the meeting, discussions were held on the establishment of the proposed Institutional Operations Committee and a six-member Coordination Team to facilitate the implementation of the research. Attention was also focused on the proposed Mixed-Methods Design, the preparation of questionnaires and the data collection process.The Sub-Committee further reviewed the progress of obtaining public views on the restructuring of SLIATE. Matters relating to obtaining the contribution of the Human Resources and Management Information Systems (MIS) divisions for the research, the preparation of the research implementation timeline through a Gantt Chart, and the stakeholder consultations to be held with representatives of the industry sector were also considered.The programme to obtain the views of stakeholders, including Chambers of Commerce, industry associations and professional bodies, as well as the conduct of field visits to selected SLIATE institutions across the country, was also discussed.The Sub-Committee decided to proceed with the future activities of the research in accordance with the agreed timeline and to present the relevant progress reports at its next meeting.Hon. Member of Parliament Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Prageeth Madhuranga also attended the meeting.
2026-07-22
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on referring the matters revealed in relation to land misuse, financial irregularities and administrative deficiencies at the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for a formal investigation.The matter was taken up when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera to continue its examination of the Auditor General's Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and to consider the remaining matters relating to the current performance of the National Housing Development Authority.During the meeting, lengthy discussions were held regarding the leasing of valuable NHDA-owned lands located at Maligawatta, Elvitigala Mawatha and Rangirigama, Dambulla to external parties at low nominal values without Cabinet approval, the use of such lands for purposes contrary to the conditions stipulated in the relevant agreements, and the failure to adequately safeguard the Authority's assets.The Committee observed that many of these transactions had been carried out in contravention of the objectives of the National Housing Development Authority and the relevant legal provisions. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that comprehensive reports on the identified irregularities be referred to the Criminal Investigation Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption for the institution of appropriate legal action.The Committee also instructed the officials to expedite internal audit investigations into these matters, identify the officers responsible and initiate disciplinary action against them. Furthermore, the Committee recommended that the necessary measures be taken to strengthen asset management and internal control systems in order to prevent the recurrence of such irregularities in the future.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Dayasiri Jayasekara, S.M. Marikkar, Attorney-at-Law Sujeewa Senasinghe, Mujibur Rahman, Chaminda Wijesiri, Dr. S. Sri Bavanandarajah, Sunil Rajapaksha, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiarachchi, Asitha Niroshana Egodavithana, Ruwan Mapalagama, Jagath Manuwarna, Dinesh Hemantha, M.K.M. Aslam and Sudath Balagalla.
2026-07-21
Discussions focus on strengthening disability-inclusive legislation and policy implementationThe Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and representatives of several United Nations agencies at Parliament with a view to strengthening cooperation in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and advancing disability-inclusive legislation and policies in Sri Lanka.The meeting was held in Parliament under the Chairmanship of the Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva recently.Addressing the meeting, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Marc-André Franche, commended the Parliament for establishing the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities and emphasized the importance of treating disability inclusion as a national priority across all sectors. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to provide technical expertise and institutional support in areas including legislative reforms, accessibility, inclusive education, employment, community-based rehabilitation and strengthening national coordination.The UNICEF Representative, Ms. Begoña Arellano, highlighted the need to safeguard the rights of children with disabilities, particularly in relation to health, nutrition and education, while emphasizing the important oversight role of Parliament in ensuring the effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies.Representatives of UNFPA, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers also briefed the Caucus on ongoing initiatives relating to youth, education, disability data collection, employment opportunities and social inclusion.During the meeting, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, informed the Caucus that the proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill are currently with the Attorney General's Department and are expected to be presented to Parliament on September 2026. He further stated that measures are underway to improve accessibility in public institutions, expand employment opportunities, introduce educational grants for university students with disabilities and establish ten day-care centres for children with disabilities within this year.The Caucus also discussed future initiatives, including the preparation of disability-inclusive budget proposals by Government Ministries, the finalisation of a national disability database and the conduct of a sensitisation programme for journalists to promote a rights-based approach to disability related reporting.The meeting concluded with the Chair, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, reiterating the Caucus's core theme, "An unhindered social life," and calling for continued, unified collaboration to make an inclusive society a reality.The meeting was attended by the Deputy Co-Chairs of the Caucus, Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, and Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, Members of Parliament and representatives of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers.
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