02. ‘Awakening Polonnaruwa’ development project
Development of transportation facilities connecting Polonnaruwa and its adjoining cities has been identified as a priority task under the ‘Awakening Polonnaruwa’ development project. Although, the train service is being operated across Polonnaruwa, it has not been popular among the public due to the time wastage and less number of operated trains. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study for rehabilitation of rail tracks from Maho to Batticaloa and from Galoya to Trincomalee including upgrading of railway stations, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
03. Bilateral Air Service Agreement between Sri Lanka and Serbia
Serbia, which is an upper middle income country, makes a vast contribution to its economy through tourism and has entered into multilateral air agreements with 13 countries in the European Union. It is observed that the air service relations of Siberia would be helpful in the development of air service and tourism in Sri Lanka. Especially, the Mattala International Airport can be fruitfully utilized through allowing Serbian aircrafts to access and fly to other countries via this airport. Therefore, the proposal made by Hon. Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, to sign and enforce the Air Service Agreement, which has already been signed in the official level by an accredited representative of Sri Lanka, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
04. Galagedara and Mawathagama Water Supply Project
The proposal made by Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply, to implement the above project with the view of providing safe drinking water to the residents, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
05. Improving forecasting capabilities of the Department of Meteorology on weather changes
Over 90% of natural hazards are related to weather change. Hence, the proposal made by Hon. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Minister of Disaster Management, to implement the project for improving the forecasting capabilities of the Department of Meteorology to minimize the impact of frequent weather hazards, enabling it to give accurate weather forecasts and alarming services, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
06. Vesting of the existing Akuressa Bus Stand with the UDA
UDA has been acquired about 13 acres of land for town expansion activities owned by the Land Reform Commission under the proposed development plan to cater the Akuressa town needs. It is proposed to relocate the existing bus stand in the land acquired. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, Minister of Megapolis and Western Development, to acquire the land which the bus stand is located to the UDA enabling it to be utilized in commercial purposes, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
07. Amendment of the Tea Shakthi Fund Act No 47 of 2000
The proposal made by Hon. Naveen Dissanayake, Minister of Plantation Industries, to amend theTea Shakthi Fund Act No 47 of 2000 for regular and productive undertaking of activities of the Tea Shakthi Fund, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
08. Revocation of Irrevocable Deeds of Gifts (Special Provisions) Act
Issues have been aroused on the rights of donees as the Court of Appeal upheld a judgement of a District Judge wherein the court had held that a donor can revoke an irrevocable deed of gift by executing a deed of revocation without filing action and obtaining a decision of court. It also impacts on lending institutions who are now placed in a disadvantaged position as they can lose the security on which the loan was granted, on a unilateral revocation by the donor. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Dr.Wijayadasa Rajapaksa, Minister of Justice, to draft legislations to make provisions for revocation of irrevocable deeds of gifts to be only on the order of a competent court as recommended by the Law Commission, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
09. Project for construction of new houses in plantation sector
The Ministry of Hill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development have planned to construct 1,877 new houses for plantation community through Plantation Human Development Trust on loan and grant basis. 1,260 houses have already been completed and 617 houses are to be finalised. A house with an area of 550 square feet built in a 7 perch land is comprised of 02 bed rooms, living room, veranda, kitchen and an attached toilet. The current amount allocated for a house is Rs. 515,000/-. Rs. 240,000/- of that amount is given as a grant and Rs. 275,000/- is given as a loan. The proposal made by Hon.PalaniThigambaram, Minister ofHill Country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development, to increase the above total amount as Rs. 650,000/- and the grant as Rs. 310,000/- and the loan amount as 340,000/-, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
10. Establishment of the Southern Provincial Development Board
Major function of the Ministry of Southern Development is to enhanced regional economic development by creating basic infrastructure while providing employment opportunities through improving existing service and industries, creating new services and industries and coordinate development activities to uplift the standard of living of the community in the region while using economic resources in a sustainable manner. The proposal made by Hon. Sagala Ratnayake, Minister of Southern Development, to draft legislations to establish the Southern Provincial Development Board and to determine Galle, Matara, Hambantota and Monaragala districts and Colonna and Embilipitiya Divisional Secretariat Divisions of Ratnapura District as areas related to the activities of the board, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
11. Asian Development Bank assisted Greater Colombo Water and Waste Water Management Improvement Investment Programme – 2Ambathale Water Supply System Improvement and Energy Saving Project and Town East of Colombo District Water Supply Project
The proposal made by Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply, to award the contracts for providing consultancy services for design review and construction supervision of the above project as recommended by the Cabinet Appointed Standing Procurement Committee, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
12. Etampitiya Water Supply Project funded by local banks
The proposal made by Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply, to implement the above project at a cost of Rs. 2,039 million obtained from local banks with a treasury guarantee, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
13. KosgamaAvissawella Water Supply Project funded by local banks
The proposal made by Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply, to implement the above project at a cost of Rs. 1,062 million obtained from local banks, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
14. Medirigiriya Water Supply Project – Phase II funded by local banks
The proposal made by Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply, to implement the above project at a cost of Rs. 1,363 million obtained from local banks, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
15. Construction of Accident and Emergency Care Units
The policy on accident and emergency services in government hospitals has already been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Rajitha Senaratne, Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine to award the contract of consultancy services to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau and the contract for construction of the said units to the Central Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd established under CECB for the expeditious construction of said units in following hospitals, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
District General Hospital Kaluthara – Rs. 468.84 million
District General Hospital Polonnaruwa – Rs. 467.17 million
Teaching Hospital Jaffna – Rs. 589.82 million
Base Hospital Kalmunei North – Rs. 374.22 million
16. Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN Habitat)
UN Habitat, in addition to its advocacy and monitoring functions, plays an important role in providing technical assistance in the areas of urban governance, housing, environmental management, waste management, and poverty reduction. The proposal made by Hon. Sajith Premadasa, Minister of Housing and Construction, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between UN Habitat and the Ministry of Housing and Construction for facilitation of mutual cooperation, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
17. Financial Assistance for the implementation of Anamaduwa Integrated Water Supply Project
Most people living in Puttalam District currently depend on ground water sources for their drinking and other water requirements and therefore, suffer from severe water shortages even during a moderate dry spell of the year. The ground water in the area also consists of high hardness and salinity. Having considered the above it has been proposed to construct a modern full water treatment plant with a capacity of 11,000m3/day. It will help to provide uninterrupted safe drinking water for 81,700 people in Anamaduwa, Kotawehera, Navagattegama, Mahakumbukkaduwela, Mundalama, Galgamuwa, Rasnayakapura, and Puttalam Divisional Secretariat Divisions. The proposal made by Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance, to enter into separate agreements with the Government of Spain and the Hatton National Bank in Sri Lanka who provide the financial assistance for the above project, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
18. Amendment of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act No 2 of 1996
Cabinet of Ministers have approved the amendment of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act No 02 of 1996 for increase of penalties for the offences done in the international sea on 14-10-2015. Accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, to submit the amended bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman to the Parliament, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
