Front Page

News

Northern province to be surveyed
By Chandani Kirinde
A re-drawing of survey maps of the northern peninsula will commence shortly with assistance from the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD), Lands Minister Dr.Rajitha Senaratne said.

NORAD has already agreed to finance the project and the proposal has been submitted to the Finance Ministry for approval, the minister said.
He said work should commence within a month and be completed within three to four months.

The minister has also discussed with the mapping authority of Norway to get the relevant expertise in this regard. The next batch of surveyors who pass out of the Sabaragamuwa University will be sent to the north to expedite this work, Dr.Senaratne said.

He said that no land could be allocated for development activities until the survey plans were in place. Most of the Survey Department offices in the north have been destroyed in the war and the many valuable documents destroyed as a result.

Plans to throttle PCs, says PA
Another UNF-PA showdown is building up over alleged moves by the government to throttle PA-controlled provincial councils. Western Province Chief Minister Reginald Cooray charged that a recent directive fired out by the Treasury to the council was intended to throttle them while Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse said he would take up the issue at the highest level and call for a parliamentary debate.

Mr. Cooray said the Treasury circular ordered the council to cut their work force by ten percent or cut expenses by ten percent. Failure to do this would result in the government slashing the allocations to the councils by as much as 25 percent.

Mr. Cooray said the threat to cripple the operational abilities of the provincial councils would be opposed strongly with the help of trade unions while political action would be taken jointly by all PA- controlled councils. Opposition leader Rajapakse said provincial councils needed more personnel to do the work allocated to them but the government was now trying to further cut jobs in PCs as a means of crippling them.

Railway Council halted in tracks
Three engineers of the Railway Department have filed a case claiming the powers given to the recently appointed Railway Management Council (RMC) are greater than those vested in the General Manager of Railways, temporarily halting its functions.

These engineers have filed a petition against Transport Minister Tilak Marapana, Ministry Secretary and the GMR alleging infringement of fundamental rights by the appointment of the RMC.

When the case was taken up last week, court gave a ruling that certain amendments are necessary to the rules to make clear that the functions of the council are to formulate strategies and make recommendations of an advisory nature, implementation of which should be by the GMR.

The Rmc appointed by a gazette notification on February 14 to look into the economic crisis faced by the Railway is headed by Mr. P.H. Manatunga, a practising lawyer, and includes Railway representatives, two Treasury officials and others with experience in the management, transport and engineering spheres.

Back to Front Page