The Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Environment, Agriculture and Resource Sustainability focused its attention on the impact of Cyclone ‘Ditwah’ on the agricultural sector and the environment, along with the measures being implemented to restore affected areas to normalcy.

These matters were taken up when the committee met in Parliament on January 22, under the chairmanship of Member of Parliament Hector Appuhamy, according to the Department of Communication of Parliament.

Officials representing the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation, the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, the Ministry of Environment, and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development were present at the meeting.

During the discussions, the Committee Chairman inquired whether the relevant ministries had prepared data-based reports on the damage caused by Cyclone ‘Ditwah’, the statement said. 

In response, officials confirmed that assessments had been conducted and that damage estimation reports had already been compiled, the statement said.

The committee was briefed in detail on these findings, while officials from the respective departments and statutory bodies under each ministry also presented the data available with their respective institutions.

Following the presentations, the Chairman sought clarification regarding the compensation process for affected parties and the methodology used to determine compensation amounts. 

Officials from the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure stated that compensation payments would be made following the submission of a Cabinet Memorandum, and therefore noted their inability to provide further details at that stage, it added.

Emphasizing the need for a structured and systematic mechanism for payment compensation, the Committee instructed that the payment process be formalized and expedited. 

The Committee further recommended that all ministries submit their respective reports on the impact of Cyclone ‘Ditwah’ for review.

Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Ajith P. Perera, Roshan Akmeemana, Chathuri Gangani, Susantha Kumara Nawaratne, Attorney-at-Law Bhagya Sri Herath, and Upul Kithsiri were also in attendance at the meeting.