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 Living
high on the hog, if you ask me!
It seems that some institutions in the Central
Province operating with Government grants, are cheerfully ignoring such
irritating things like Public Administration Circulars, Financial Regulations,
Accounting Standards, Treasury Circulars, etc., resulting in rafts of queries
when it comes to audits and checking of the books. In a recent case it
has been noted that even the Public Administration Circular governing the
use of official vehicles for private purposes has been totally ignored
as "damned inconvenient, by Jove!" Officials entitled to use
official vehicles for private purposes are, according to this Circular,
required to pay the sum of Rs. 150 per month to the Institution. The Director
of one such institution has continued to use official vehicles for his
private jaunts with impunity. And pay? Not on your nelly!
A leading audit firm here told me that even Higher Education Institutes
sometimes take little stock of UGC Circulars. Many items are not receipted
properly despite Treasury Circulars. Other common "sins of omission"
are (a) non-availability of evidence for items in the accounts, (b) no
provision for gratuities in the accounts, (c) no security bonds obtained
from officials responsible for cash and stores, (d) no supporting documents
in the case of loans given to employees, and (e) non-maintenance of Fixed
Assets registers. Seems that these institutions are doing their own thing
and don't give a hoot for accounting procedures living high on the hog,
if you ask me!
Demand and supply
Poked around the Kandy Market to find out
that the sale of dog flesh has been going on for some time, sporadically
but it happens all the same. Seems that there is this local entrepreneur
who has undertaken to prepare the meat and done so for a couple of months.
He works, naturally, close to the butcher stalls for it is so convenient
to dispose of the offal which is simply mixed in with the rest of the muck
that is destined to be sold as "dog meat" to kennel owners. Why,
even the Kandy Police kennels takes such bits' n' pieces in quantity. How
could they know that it was becoming a dog-eat-dog business? Seems our
supplier had a sweet little supply line established.
He was providing prime dog to certain Far Eastern gentlemen who consider
it a delicacy.
I thought this "hot dog" thing was a Vietnamese dish. Seems
that there are other orientals who have also developed exotic tastes.
Two celebrations
Sinhaputhra Finance Limited of Kandy celebrates
their 20th anniversary of commencement of business on February 14, next
year. There will be two celebrations, actually, the first being on November
6 this year, which is the 20th anniversary of the Company' s incorporation.
Knowing our evergreen Tissa Wijeyeratne who took the financial clay of
Kandy and said, "Let there be life", two celebrations will be
a long sight better than one! This column likes to be the first to offer
congratulations.
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