Letters to the Editor
View(s):It shouldn’t be difficult to reveal all on sugar deal turned bitter
The sugar deal has now become the topic of the day as most politicians of all parties are speaking for or against it. Ironically some public servants holding high ranks are being dragged into it for whatever reason.
We believe there was a very powerful and respected association called the Sugar Importers Association of which Karu Jayasuriya was President in the late ’80s. If this is still in existence now we would be pleased to hear something from this association about this rather infamous deal.
We do not think that any investigation on this deal would be difficult as Customs records would show who and who imported what and what quantities. It would also be interesting to note whether there have been any out of the usual importers who imported unusual quantities and at what prices they were sold wholesale, and to which distributers.
There is news that one importer has sold to the Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) at a price of Rs. 110 per kg and the CWE had sold it at Rs. 85 incurring a loss! It would be very easy to find who gained and who lost.
The Departments of Inland Revenue, Import Control and the Customs should have records which can be easily tallied with each other through their VAT claims. Whatever comes out of the investigations one cannot overlook the findings and sweep the deal under the carpet if someone made super profits and made the public bear the cost! Even if the CWE suffered a loss that is a loss to the poor consumer as this money had apparently gone to one or more importers and to some dealers in between!
The easy way out may be to appoint a Parliamentary or a Presidential Commission. Then we can hear of a report. Finally, we can drop the matter as the storm would have passed and there may be more important issues purposefully raised by whoever to stage protests against the Government submerging the problems the ordinary citizens are facing!
Concerned citizen Via email
Kudos to Chathuranga and the need to open doors for youth from all walks of life
Recently at the annual award ceremony of the CEB held at the BMICH with the participation of the Minister Dallas Alahapperuma and the higher authorities of the CEB, a young engineer Chathuranga Wickramasinghe won the Best Innovator award (silver category) for his invention of an Image-Based Insulator Condition Monitoring System which identifies the surface changes due to the growth of the leakage currents using an image processing tool.
He has developed it into an Android app that can be used as an online condition monitoring system.
Educated at Uva College and Badulla Central College, Chathuranga graduated from the University of Ruhuna. He works at the Kundasale CEB Depot as an engineer.
At the ceremony top officials of the CEB assured their support for Chathuranga’s innovation to receive patent rights.
Education opportunities need to be granted for students from all walks of life, so that they can contribute to the country’s development with innovations of this nature.
We wish professionals of Chathuranga’s calibre all the best to contribute more such innovations and be an example to the youth while making less recognized districts in our country such as Badulla proud.
Kapila Kalansooriya Badulla
Violent teledramas could affect impressionable minds
Most of the teledramas shown on popular channels, we find, are crime-oriented. They are dragged on for months – for whose benefit I wonder.
The villains always have sophisticated weapons and guns. Assaults and gang warfare are carried out with the perpetrators attired in posh western outfits. Gone are the days when we saw criminals with unshaven faces, sarongs tucked up and bare-chested. Today, handsome actors play the part of the villains making them appear as heroes to impressionable young viewers.
These teledramas are shown mainly after 8 p.m. and the programmes go on till late night.
Is there any censorship of these productions? We should bear in mind that the youth tend to imitate what they see.
As an ageing Sri Lankan viewer I appeal to the authorities to have a limit on this type of TV crime. We read in the newspapers of incidents which very much mirror these shows on TV.
Laki Rajapakse Minuwangoda
Crass indifference
I have tried umpteen times to get the authorities to look into the cutting off of fingers of the workers of the meat and fish industry. This happens when their hands slip while cutting up the product. There are stainless steel mesh gloves that are mandatory abroad to be used at the cutting/ chopping machines. Why not here?
I have written to the CEOs of these companies that boast of having the latest ISO and HACCP certification asking if these certificates are just to impress people and proudly display them receiving the awards of excellence; asking why they do not provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for their workers, but not a cat has followed through to implement this to their shame.
Profit at whose expense? The owners will have to give account to the Almighty for the pain and loss of their employees’ future work prospects!!
Rohan Wickramaratne Dehiwela