To be or not to be: CMC’s fate in the balance

With Western Province Chief Minister Reginold Cooray about to deliver his decision about the future of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) this week, some councillors have charged that officials employed by the council are not carrying out Mayor’s orders paving way for inefficiency.

Citing the 2004 - 2008 Corporate Plan of the CMC, a source close to Mayor Uvais Imtiaz stated that 20% of the Council’s employees do not report to work. He adds that while there is a lack of co-ordination and team-work, punctuality is another reason why the Council has failed over the years.

He also charges that a faction within the CMC is trying to destabilise its work. The Councillor also alleges malpractices take place in giving approval for hoardings in the city of Colombo. He said that though Rs. 20,000 is charged to put up a hoarding in the city, some officials charge as much as Rs. 100,000/- to grant approval.

Mr. Vasudeva Nanayakkara CMC Leader of the Opposition stated that some officials in the CMC do not carry out the orders from the mayor. He added that if mayor was interested he could have got rid of them.

Mr. Nanayakkara suggested that there may be another authority who is actualy controlling the operations of the Council. Meanwhile the Mayor in his reply to the charge sheet issued by Chief Minister Reginold Cooray said, the latter had not cited any charges against him and therefore he had not given any explanation. He denied the allegations levelled against his Council and provided answers to the charge sheet on behalf of the Council.

Chief Minister Reginold Cooray told The Sunday Times that his decision over the fate of the Council would be delivered this week. He declined any further comment. A CMC Councillor said there had been a violation of the Municipal Council Ordinance as the CMC’s Finance Committee had not given its approval for a solid waste management contract to a private company. He said this was one of the allegations in the charge sheet served by the Chief Minister.

According to Chapter 28 of the Municipal Council Ordinance, all financial matters in a Municipal Council should be referred to the Finance Committee of that council for approval before being taken to the Council for approval.

A councillor on the Finance Committee of the CMC said that the particular case bearing file number 261, was taken up at the committee on December 19th last year but had not been in confirmed in its minutes.

He said that as a result of it not being confirmed in the minutes, the matter could not be included on the Agenda of the General Council Meeting. He claimed that despite this some councillors had brought it in as a separate motion on December 24th last year, and the contract was controversially granted to a private company.

He said that 24 out of the 53 councillors the Council had voted for the motion and two against it. The remaining 27 councillors had walked out before a vote was taken. He went onto say the Mayor who was new to his office at that time was rendered helpless.