News
GSMB licences: Probe by COPE sub-committee into alleged irregularities
View(s):By Senuka Jayakody
The Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) is to appoint a sub-committee to probe the conduct of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) in issuing licences.
When GSMB officials appeared before the COPE on Tuesday, they were questioned as to why they sought the minister’s approval to issue licences.
In response, GSMB Chairman R. Sanjeepan said the requests for licences the bureau received are sent to the minister daily before they were issued.
GSMB officials appeared before the COPE on Tuesday
When COPE Chair Prof. Ranjith Bandara asked the bureau chairman whether other officials approved of this process which undermined the bureau’s administrative independence. The acting director general said they were aware of it.
Expressing his displeasure, the COPE Chairman pointed out that such conduct was a “violation of the Act”.
“We are dissatisfied with your conduct,” he told the GSMB chairman while expressing his disapproval of the conduct of the acting director general.
“You are the chief executive and you should be personally responsible for this,” he told the GSMB chief.
COPE member Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, who was once the minister in charge of the GSMB, said that in accordance with the Act, the bureau was allowed to issue licences independently.
“When I was Minister, I got involved with the bureau’s work, only if there was a wrong committed,” he said.
“During my tenure, I received no such lists of licence requests. Neither had I requested any. Why should I be concerned about licences issued to others?” Mr Yapa asked.
The COPE then decided to appoint a sub-committee to probe into the issuance of licences. Its report will be presented to Parliament with recommendations. 
The following day, Environment Minister Naseer Ahmed, who is in charge of the GSMB, told Parliament that reports about the ministry receiving the licence request list on a daily basis from the bureau were “absolutely fake”.
The ministry’s job was to ensure that the guidelines were properly followed, he said. “It is important for the DG to implement the guidelines properly.”
However, he acknowledged that the copies were sent to the Ministry “for information purposes only”.
The Minister claimed that corruption was rampant in the bureau before he took office, with as many as 2000 special licences being issued. He said he had brought this number to 60.
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