March 05, Colombo (LNW): A parliamentary committee tasked with examining the country’s level of preparedness ahead of last year’s devastating Cyclone Ditwah has been formed, with Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa appointed to chair the panel.
The announcement was made by Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne at the beginning of Thursday’s sitting of Parliament. The committee has been established to carry out an in-depth review of the circumstances surrounding the disaster and to determine whether adequate preventive measures had been in place prior to the cyclone’s impact.
Alongside Dr Jayatissa, several lawmakers have been nominated to serve on the body. These include Deputy Ministers Prasanna Gunasena, Anton Jayakody and Aruna Jayasekara, as well as Members of Parliament Anuradha Jayaratne, Hector Appuhamy, Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, MKM Aslam, Anushka Thilakarathne, Kanthasamy Prabhu, Ruwan Mapalagama and Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam.
The decision to establish the committee follows a motion presented in Parliament in January by opposition legislators calling for a full inquiry into the events surrounding Cyclone Ditwah. The proposal, introduced by Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunathilleka, argued that the scale of destruction and loss caused by the storm warranted a thorough parliamentary investigation.
Cyclone Ditwah, widely regarded as one of the most severe natural disasters to affect Sri Lanka in recent decades, left significant damage to homes, infrastructure and livelihoods across several regions of the country. Lawmakers supporting the motion noted that a comprehensive assessment of the losses and the government’s readiness to respond to the disaster had yet to be completed.
Under the provisions of the parliamentary Standing Orders, the newly formed Select Committee will have the authority to summon witnesses, request documents and gather both written and oral evidence as part of its inquiry. It will also be responsible for examining the effectiveness of early warning systems, emergency preparedness plans and coordination among relevant state agencies.
The committee is expected to submit a detailed report to Parliament outlining its findings and recommendations. According to the motion approved by the House, the report should be presented within three months of the committee’s first meeting, unless Parliament grants an extension.
The investigation is expected to focus not only on identifying shortcomings but also on recommending improvements to disaster preparedness and response mechanisms to reduce the impact of similar events in the future.
