Government Negligence Led to Numerous Deaths, Allege Gammanpila and D.V. Chanaka

 Parliamentarian D.V. Chanaka stated that if the government had taken appropriate action at the right time in the face of the recent severe cyclonic conditions, a large number of lost lives could have been saved. He accused the Minister in charge of Disaster Management of completely disregarding the warnings about this disaster situation, which had been issued since the 12th of last month,

during a press conference held yesterday (09) at the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna headquarters.

He pointed out that despite the acknowledgment in Parliament that these warnings were received at least by the morning of the 25th, due to a lack of proper management, parents have lost their children and children have lost their parents, leading to a tragic situation where they cannot even see the bodies of their deceased relatives.

Meanwhile, Udaya Gammanpila, leader of Pivithuru Hela Urumaya and former Member of Parliament, emphasized that a parliamentary select committee should be immediately appointed to investigate and report whether the negligence of authorities contributed to the intensification of this disaster. Speaking to the media on the 8th, he stated that a strong public opinion has formed that the loss of life from this natural calamity was due to the government's carelessness.

Therefore, he pointed out that an investigation into this matter through a parliamentary committee would also be crucial for preparing to face similar disasters in the future.

Mr. Gammanpila further stated that due to government leaders making false statements to the public before and after the election victory, public trust in the government has now eroded, and a common public perception has emerged that over 3,000 people died in the disaster. He suggested that since the public does not trust the statistics presented by the government, steps should be taken to publish the number of disaster deaths at the Grama Niladhari (village officer) division level to rebuild public trust, which would allow people to verify if the deaths in their areas have been accurately reported.