Hon. Namal Karunaratne
2026-02-05
Hon. Namal Karunaratne acknowledged the existence of corrupt practices and malpractices, including under-the-table transactions, in processes related to land use or land filling activities. He stated that the relevant Department has issued a new circular to regulate and rectify these issues. He emphasized the need to balance legitimate land change requirements with the prevention of environmental damage caused by indiscriminate filling, with the new circular intended to ensure proper implementation of this process.
Hon. Member, you are correct. There were such activities with under-the-table transactions, and we have observed significant malpractices. We are now regulating and rectifying all that. A new circular has been issued. While certain lands genuinely need change considering practical realities, we must also prevent environmental damage and other impacts from indiscriminate filling. Balancing both aspects, the Department is intervening under a new circular to properly implement this process.