The Government is expected to appoint a new Chairman to head the vital Ports Authority on Monday after its incumbent Saliya Wickramasuriya’s resignation was accepted by the Ports and Aviation Minister Chamal Rajapaksa early this week.
Mr. Wickramasuriya told The Sunday Times that his letter of resignation submitted in July was accepted by the Minister on Tuesday and his last day at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority would be tomorrow. The delay in acceptance of his resignation, Mr.Wickramasuriya attributed to him being away in London and the Minister being involved in SAARC summit activities, provincial council elections and the marriage of his youngest son.
According to well placed sources the Government will appoint present Vice Chairman Priyath Bandu Wickrema to the top post .
His relations with the unions have been such that in 2004 unions requested the Government to appoint him to the Board of SLPA as their representative.
Present SLPA Executive Director Dr Sanjaya Senarath is expected to be elevated as Vice Chairman.
While Dr Senarath is from the medical field, Mr. Wickrema is a chartered Mechanical Engineer, who joined the Ports Authority as a young BSc graduate in 2001. Hailing from Walasmulla, he completed a PhD in Port Management recently.
Contacted to get a confirmation, Ports Ministry Secretary T. Hewage, however, said he could not answer any of our queries as he was abroad. Ports Minister Chamal Rajapaksa could not be contacted.
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