Hon. Susantha Kumara Nawarathna
2026-02-05
Hon. Susantha Kumara Nawarathna raised concerns about illegal or arbitrary land filling practices affecting paddy lands in the Anuradhapura District, noting the issue had been repeatedly raised at the District Coordinating Committee level. He asked the Deputy Minister to clarify whether the established procedure governing the filling of paddy lands — previously bypassed by Pradeshiya and District Land Use Committees acting outside their authority — had been halted, revised, or corrected through ministerial intervention, or whether the irregular practices were still ongoing.
Hon. Deputy Minister, we know there have been serious issues regarding land filling, especially in the Anuradhapura District, repeatedly raised even at the District Coordinating Committee. My first supplementary: A procedure had been followed for filling paddy lands, but in the past it was violated through the Pradeshiya and District Land Use Committees, acting arbitrarily. Has that procedure been stopped or changed? Has the Ministry intervened to correct it, or is the same procedure continuing?