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With the appointment of the new cabinet ministers and state ministers many of them have taken time to visit some of the institutions under their purview.

One of them was Minister Mahinda Amaraweera who visited the Central Bus Stand in Pettah where he wanted to review the current operation of bus services.

However the Minister was encountered with a non-transport issue – the report that, both the male and female toilets were being misused by organised groups for sexual activities.  As a result the long distance travellers who mostly used the bus stand were left without a proper toilet.

The Minister ordered his officials to get together with the Police and continuously to carryout raids until the illegal activities are brought to a halt.

C.B. Ratnayake, State Minister in charge of Railways on a similar visit dropped in at the Hatton Railway station which is in much use now due to the beginning of the Adam’s Peak (Siripada) season.

He observed the lack of facilities while walking around and was told that there was a racket of selling railway tickets at a higher price at the nearby three-wheel stand.

His immediate instructions was remove the three-wheel park from the area so that tickets are no longer sold from the park. Warnings were given to the railway officials about the allegation as well. The question is whether the illegal operation will simply shift somewhere else.

CPC Circuit Bungalow : Renovation costs hit the roof

Power and Energy Minister,  Mahinda Amaraweera was taken by surprise this week when he received a proposal that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation’s (CPC) circuit bungalow renovation cost would be Rs 8.5 million.

After all, the entire bungalow had only five rooms and the query was why it would cost so much.The minister now plans to visit the circuit-bungalow to assess as to why the renovation bill is so high.

Legal battle over ‘dog poop’

‘Dog poop’ has been the subject of a legal battle brought up before the Nugegoda Magistrate’s court.

This is after the Mirihana Police filed action against a resident in Subadhraramaya Mawatha following a complaint by a lawyer that he had dumped ‘dog poop’ in front of his residence.

The resident not only faces charges of dumping ‘dog poop’, but also a charge of not registering the dog and contributing to the spread of diseases.

The resident was told that matter could be resolved, if he pleaded guilty to the charges, but the request was turned down by the lawyer appearing for him  saying there was no evidence against his client.

The resident’s lawyer argued that if charges are filed under proper laws he was willing to contest the case. Accordingly, the police have been instructed by court to file an amended complaint.

Hazard waiting to happen  under the Dehiwela flyover

While the motive behind the trend is admirable, there is always the danger of someone overdoing it, as observed at the bottom of the Dehiwala flyover.

A group of overzealous ‘artists’ have now painted over part of the hazard pattern below the flyover. The hazard pattern has been painted by the Road Development Authority (RDA) to warn drivers to reduce speed as there is a danger of hitting the barrier. A pedestrian crossing is also in front of the pattern. A majority of this hazard pattern has now been painted over with a wall painting depicting King Dutugemunu and his legendary warriors; the “Dasa Maha Yodayas.”

The RDA has confirmed that no one sought its approval to paint over the sign. Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia, Mayor Stanley Dias was more blunt, calling those behind the stunt “idiots.” He was highly critical of the local Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) organiser and former Mayor Dhanasiri Amaratunga, who he said had organised the whole thing. Mr Amaratunga however, was not contactable for his response.

A complaint has also been lodged with Police Headquarters over the incident by Chirantha Amerasinghe, President of the Ceylon Motorcyclists’ Association. In his complaint, Mr Amerasinghe has highlighted the serious dangers posed to the public by the painting and has urged police to take action to restore the hazard pattern.

Stadium hostel :  Minister gifts  garbage bags to authorities

Sport Minister Dulles Alahapperuma paid a personal visit to the Sugathadasa stadium following the 13 member Sri Lankan contingent at the South Asian Games being diagnosed with dengue.

This was because 12 members of the team have stayed at the Stadium hostel prior to taking part in the South Asian games. Initially, host nation Nepal was blamed for the athletes contracting dengue.

The minister after inspecting the buildings, washrooms, rooms and the drains found out that authorities responsible for the sports complex had failed to carryout proper maintenance and there were large number of dengue breeding grounds.

Apart from that, the minister found that the authorities who maintain the stadium even failed to remove the garbage and leftover food collected at the stadium during previous events.

The minister visibly angered went on to collect some garbage bags and gifted it to the person in charge of cleaning the place.

“This is a gift for the person in charge of cleaning; you must receive this with respect.  When we were schooling we were like that. We used to gift the most unclean student a present. We would nicely wrap an old set of socks and underwear and give it to him. Likewise, I present this to you,” he said.

Jamaican beauty crowned Miss World

London, December 14- Miss World Jamaica Toni-Ann Singh aged 23 has been crowned the 69th Miss World by her predecessor Vanessa Ponce de Leon at the grand final hosted by Peter Andre and Megan at ExCel London.

A tearful newly crowned Miss World 2019 said: “So honoured and grateful for this opportunity but most of all I’m thinking about the work that needs to be done and that I have the platform and the means to do it.”

Toni is a women’s studies and psychology student at Florida State University who aspires to be a medical doctor. Previously she has worked as president of the Caribbean students association on campus.

Miss World France, Ophely Mezino was the runner up, and Miss World India, Suman Rao was placed third.

Last Sunday Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe.

Pl see ST 2 Page 16 for related story