Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka

The Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, on behalf of the Hon. (Mrs.) Chamindranee Kiriella, posed Parliamentary Question No. 1370/2025 to the Minister of Environment. The question specifically sought information regarding the date on which the bicentennial celebration of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, was held. This appears to be the first part of a multi-part question seeking details about this commemorative event.

The speech consists solely of a procedural request by Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka asking the Chair to grant another member two additional minutes of speaking time. No substantive policy arguments, proposals, or legislative references were made.

The speech is too brief to summarize meaningfully. Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka made only a short procedural remark — **"That cannot be; there is time"** — which appears to be a point of order or interjection regarding the allocation of time during the debate, without providing substantive content for a full summary.

## Summary The Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, on behalf of the Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana, posed a written question to the Minister of Finance, Planning and Development seeking detailed information on foreign investments received by Sri Lanka from November 2024 to the present. The question requests a comprehensive breakdown covering the specific amounts and countries of origin of investments, their total value in US Dollars, the operational status of investment projects, and explanations for any projects that have not yet commenced. The question implicitly seeks accountability regarding the government's investment attraction performance during the specified period.

Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka briefly addressed the House to indicate that he was raising a question on behalf of Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hisbullah. The speech contains no further substantive content beyond this procedural declaration.

The Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, on behalf of the Hon. Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, directed a written question to the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation seeking detailed information on agricultural sector employment trends in Sri Lanka from 2015 to the present. The question requests year-by-year employment percentage figures, explanations for any decline observed during that period, and details of any government programmes specifically designed to attract youth into the agricultural sector. The question invites the Minister to explain if no such programme exists.

## Summary Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka (Galle District) addressed two Motor Traffic orders concerning revised fees for temporary driving permits for foreign licence holders and the temporary extension of certain driving licence validity periods. He proposed that temporary permits for foreign drivers be issued at key tourist destinations beyond airports — specifically citing the Galle coastal belt — and that basic road rule orientation be provided to improve safety. The member raised several practical implementation concerns: the unavailability of standard-compliant seat belts for expressway buses despite the new mandatory requirement; the unresolved number plate shortage affecting approximately 362,000 vehicles registered the previous year; and the proposed policy of cancelling a bus owner's route permit if a driver fails narcotics or alcohol testing, which he argued was disproportionate and should apply equally to the SLTB. He highlighted the broader state of public transport, citing unreliable rail services, 253 rail accidents and 244 deaths in 2024, LKR 11,000 million in railway losses, 425 unsafe level crossings, and 17 elephant fatalities from train collisions in the first ten months of 2025. Regarding the SLTB, he noted approximately 5,000 buses sitting idle in depots with overstaffing at roughly five employees per bus against a requirement of 1.4, and around 3,000 buses over 15 years old in poor condition. He called for urgent attention to road safety, seat belt compliance, the number plate shortage, and the practical challenges facing both rail and bus transport.

The speech provided is too brief and lacks substantive content to summarize meaningfully. The single statement — "Give him two minutes to finish this" — appears to be a procedural interjection requesting that another Member of Parliament be allowed additional time to complete their contribution, rather than a substantive speech in its own right.

## Summary The Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, on behalf of Hon. K. Kader Masthan, submitted a written question to the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government regarding the state of community halls across the Mullaitivu, Mannar, and Vavuniya Districts. The question seeks district-by-district data on the number of Grama Niladhari Divisions with community halls, the condition of existing facilities, and deficiencies in sanitation, water, and electricity provision. The member also requests information on whether the Minister acknowledges the public service difficulties arising from these shortcomings, and whether plans exist to upgrade deficient facilities or construct new community halls in divisions currently lacking them.

Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka indicated he was raising a question on behalf of Hon. K. Kader Masthan. No further substantive content was provided in the speech beyond this procedural statement.