An opposition lawmaker criticized the Sri Lankan government’s proposed Rs. 500 billion supplementary budget for post-Ditwah disaster recovery, calling the estimate unrealistic and warning it could undermine efforts to secure international assistance.
Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP S.M. Marikkar said the full scale of damage from the Ditwah-related natural disasters has yet to be assessed and that unofficial estimates place total infrastructure losses at more than Rs. 900 billion.
“If we cannot provide credible estimates of the damage and funding requirements, no donor agency will take Sri Lanka seriously,” Marikkar told Parliament during a special session convened to debate the 2026 recovery spending plan.
Marikkar, who chairs Parliament’s Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development, said officials informed the committee earlier this week that three major state agencies alone face funding needs of about Rs. 216 billion to restore damaged infrastructure.
He said the Road Development Authority requires an estimated Rs. 190 billion, while the Ceylon Electricity Board needs about Rs. 50 billion for repairs, figures that already consume a significant portion of the government’s proposed allocation.
Under the supplementary estimate, the government has earmarked Rs. 250 billion for infrastructure such as bridges, railways, roads and highways, irrigation systems, schools and hospitals.
“Is the government’s narrative like a Santa Claus story?” Marikkar asked, noting that the estimates were not grounded in a comprehensive assessment of losses.
He also questioned whether the government had a credible strategy to mobilize support from the global donor community.
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