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Maharagama UC in turmoil over official’s letter and demolished public toilet
View(s):An issue which took place during this week’s meeting of the Maharagama Urban Council triggered a boycott by council members for the fourth consecutive time. A dispute over a demolition of a public toilet in the town also errupted.
Twenty-two Maharagama urban council members boycotted the monthly meeting for the fourth time, in protest over the non-approval of the general assembly report.
The council members said Maharagama UC Chairman Viraj Lakruwan Piyaratne ignored a letter sent by the Local Government Commissioner, at the meeting held on Wednesday. This letter says the non-approval of the general assembly report is unconstitutional.
However, the chairman carried out the meeting after ignoring the letter, and this sparked a reaction among 22 members of the UC. They claimed the chairman had misled Maharagama UC Secretary Aruna D Dias and gone ahead with the monthly meeting. The members then left the council building.
A Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) council member, A L Pradeep Liyanage, said the council meetings were held despite the Commissioner saying that such meetings should not be held until the general assembly report was approved.
Meanwhile, during the five month period from August to December, contractors who carried out development projects had been paid Rs 150 million. A further Rs 100 million for completion of the projects had also been by passed; however these projects had not obtained UC approval due to the prevailing situation.
Former Maharagama UC Chairman Kanthi Kodikara claimed the chairman had bribed opposition members from the United National Party (UNP), JanathaVimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to carry out the meeting.
“Opposition members consisting of 11 UNP, 5 JVP, 5 SLFP, 1 independent member and 2 SLPP members are in support of the chairman. Therefore, the 24 members carried out the meeting illegally,” she said.
Meanwhile seats which had been reserved for journalists had been removed from the hall and had been placed outside the UC building.
Following the issue at the meeting, Mr Piyaratne had allegedly destroyed a public toilet in the town as the council had decided to construct a theatre in the same area.
The former chairman and council member Nishantha Wimalachandra also claimed the chairman, council labourers and a set of “thugs” had demolished the public toilet using a backhoe.
Moreover, Ms Kodikara said she was pushed by Mr Piyaratne, when she sat on the backhoe as a protest over the demolition. People who witnessed the incident had also protested in response, she said.
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