PARLIAMENT

Hon. Ajith Gihan,— To ask the Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure,— (1)  

(a) Will he inform this House—

(i) whether he is aware that sand was extracted from lands belonging to Chilaw Plantations Limited during the recent past and sold;

(ii) if so, what were the objectives of selling this sand was; and

(iii) of the measures that have been taken regarding this course of action, which is also environmentally harmful?

(b) Will he also inform this House—

(i) of the annual income earned from the coconut estates of the aforementioned company;

(ii) whether he is aware that previous governments had been engaged in handing over the coconut estates of the aforementioned company to Amul Company in India;

(iii) what its present status is;

(iv) of the reasons for the decline in coconut yield in the coconut estates of the aforementioned company; and

(v) of the measures that will be taken to increase the coconut yield in those estates?

(c) If not, why?