2022-07-07
News Categories : Committee News
According to the data, petrol and diesel can be sold at a price of approximately Rs. 250 in Sri Lanka, said Mr. Janaka Ratnayake, Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL).
He stated this when the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) met in Parliament yesterday (06) under the chairmanship of the Member of Parliament (Prof.) Charita Herath to examine the Auditor General's report for the years 2018 and 2019 and current performance of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.
Explaining this further, Mr. Rathnayake mentioned that this is revealed when checking the statistics on the import prices of petroleum and the taxes levied by the government. Accordingly, he pointed out that petrol and diesel can be provided in Sri Lanka at Rs. 200 less than the current price. According to this, petrol and diesel can be sold at a price of approximately Rs. 250 . He also said that the government has collected a tax of Rs. 280 for one liter of diesel imported on July 1st.
He said that this is his personal statement and he would make the statement after consulting the data. Accordingly, the members present asked about the awareness of the officials of the commission and the officials of the board of directors said that they are not aware of it. It was also mentioned here that the Ministry of Finance has not formally informed about this.
COPE members asked Mr. Ratnayake about his qualifications for becoming the chairman of this commission. He pointed out that he has obtained a Special Degree in Public Administration from the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and a Postgraduate degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Colombo. He also said that he has also studied at Harvard University. As his political qualifications, he stated that since 2005, Rajapaksa has been greatly supported in forming governments.
COPE chairman mentioned that the statement made by PUCSL Chairman regarding the fuel price is more serious and the attention of the country is being drawn on this. Therefore, officials from the Ministry of Power and Energy and the PUCSL Chairman are expected to be summoned before the COPE to inspect the matter in the future, said Prof. Herath.
Also, it was discussed at length about the purchase by the commission of a “Benz” car manufactured in the year 2005 without fuel or driver from a company called General Business (Private) Ltd without entering into any agreement for a period of one year from December 07, 2021. Thus, the annual rent for this vehicle was Rs.4,500,000 and on 31 May 2022, Rs. 2,187,500 had been paid to the aforesaid company. However, the COPE questioned the fact that the files regarding the hiring of this vehicle were not submitted for audit, recommendations were given to hire a 15-year-old vehicle, as well as the irregularities in calling for bids for the hiring of this vehicle, and the issues of transparency in the payment of rent for this vehicle. In particular, the committee instructed the officer who signed the approval to provide money for this institution to act responsibly.
Accordingly, the COPE Chairman recommended that an investigation be conducted and a full report be submitted to the COPE.
Also, although it was informed that the Organization Structure and Salary Structure of the PUCSL should be developed under the recommendation of the National Salary and Cadre Commission and the approval of the Department of Management Services and that the Finance Minister should submit an amendment to the Cabinet and approve it, the committee discussed spending on certain functions without doing it by the end of 2021.
In particular, the COPE paid attention to the fact that Rs. 45,873,483 were paid to the staff of the institution under 11 types of allowances. Also, the committee paid more attention to the fact that Rs. 86,808,538 of the total operating cost, (49% of the total amount) had been spent on public awareness programs.
In particular, attention was paid to the approved electricity generation plan for the years 2018-2037. The officials present mentioned that data on another new generation plan was submitted in the year 2021 and was not approved as the appropriate requirements were not met. Here, the Committee mentioned that when the political authorities change, problems arise due to the change of these plans, so all parties should pay more attention to this.
Furthermore, under the Electricity (Distribution) Performance Standards Orders mentioned in a special gazette notice issued in 2016, the commission was assigned the responsibility of preparing and implementing the performance rules. Thus, the work that should be implemented within 36 months after the decree came into effect, although almost 4 years have passed, the committee drew attention to the fact that even the adaptation phase, which was planned to be completed in 2018, has not yet been completed. The officials who were present mentioned that this was planned to be done in 3 phases in 3 years and that it has not happened yet due to the need to change the system and the problems in the relationship between the parties involved.
The members of the committee Hon. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, Hon. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Hon. Indika Anuruddha, (Dr.) Hon. Harsha de Silva, (Dr.) Hon. Nalaka Godaheva, Hon. Jayantha Samaraweera, Hon. Premnath C. Dolawatta and Hon. Mr. Madura Withanage were present. Also, several MPs who are not members of the committee also participated with the permission of the chairman of the committee.
2025-04-23
The second Parliamentary Sub-Committee on “Strengthening the legal framework related to the transport sector and steering the transport sector in a positive direction”, established by the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation discussed the need to focus on the transport needs of the community with disabilities. This sub-committee meeting was held on 10.04.2025 at the Parliament premises, chaired by the Hon. Member of Parliament, Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law. Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities and a member of the sub-committee, also participated in the meeting. In addition, a group of representatives, including heads of organizations and institutions representing various segments of the community with disabilities, attended the Committee meeting. Accordingly, the challenges encountered in fulfilling the transport needs of the community with disabilities and the proposals to address these issues were extensively discussed during the sub-committee meeting. It was identified that the lack of proper accessibility to transportation modes is a major issue faced by the community with disabilities. Due to the absence of appropriate access facilities for buses and trains, persons with disabilities are often compelled to rely on hired vehicles, which results in them incurring significant expenses, a concern they highlighted to the sub-committee. The representatives pointed out that although the Gazette Notification issued under the Disabled Persons (Accessibility) Regulations, No. 1 of. 2006 mandates the provision of proper facilities for this community, many institutions and individuals fail to comply with these regulations. They also brought to the attention of the sub-committee the need to ensure the effective implementation of these laws in order to deliver tangible benefits to the community with disabilities. Representatives from these organizations also indicated to the sub-committee that certain conduct by bus conductors causes serious inconvenience to individuals with disabilities. They emphasized the necessity of not only legislative reforms but also improving attitudes towards persons with disabilities The need for legislation to allocate seats on buses and trains specifically for personas with disabilities, allowing them to board buses without the need for conductors’ assistance, and ensuring appropriate communication facilities at railway stations for the convenience of the disabled. Additionally, several other issues impacting this community were addressed. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the issuance of driving licenses to individuals with hearing impairments has been discontinued. The representatives appealed to the sub-committee to intervene and ensure that this facility is reinstated for those individuals. Accordingly, the Committee Chair stated that the issues and proposals submitted by the community with disabilities should be sent in writing to the sub-committee within two weeks. She further stated that after reviewing these submissions, a final report would be submitted to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation.
2025-04-23
The Ministry of Transport is also requested to submit proposals within two months Sub-Committee also looks into developing a formal system to check the suitability of public transport vehicles National Transport Commission instructed to submit proposals to increase the professionalism of public transport drivers within a month Discussions were held regarding proposals to strengthen the existing legal framework to ensure the safety of public transport, including the safety of bus passengers at the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on “Strengthening the legal framework related to the transport sector and steering the transport sector in a positive direction”, established by the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation. This Sub-Committee met on 09.04.2025 under the chairpersonship of Hon. Member of Parliament, Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, during which attention was drawn to this matter. Accordingly, officials representing the Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and several institutions under its purview participated in the Sub-Committee meeting. Their views were obtained with regard to strengthening the legal framework to ensure the safety of passengers using public transport. The need to regulate the procedure for issuing fitness certificates for public transport buses was emphasized during the Sub-Committee. Officials stated that under Section 29 of the Motor Traffic Act, these fitness certificates are issued for buses, lorries, and ambulances by garages registered under the Provincial Councils, without regulation from the Department of Motor Traffic. Due to issues concerning the standards and reliability of these garages, the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee stressed the need to establish a formal procedure for this purpose. The necessity of enforcing “construction regulations” under Section 19 of the Motor Traffic Act was also discussed. Accordingly, detailed discussions were held regarding aspects such as the required spacing between seats, removal of unnecessary equipment, and installation of seat belts in both newly imported and existing buses for passenger safety. Based on the relevant data and information, the Ministry of Transport was instructed to prepare a report with proposals on the measures to be implemented concerning passenger safety in public transportation and submit it to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport within two months. Furthermore, attention was drawn to the necessary steps to enhance the professionalism of public transport drivers. Accordingly, the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee directed the National Transport Commission to submit proposals for the standardization of the driving profession within one month. It was also instructed that data related to road accidents that occurred during the past three months be promptly submitted to the Sub-Committee. The Chairperson of the Sub-Committee emphasized the importance of preparing future recommendations based on this data. Attention was also drawn to strengthening the necessary legal provisions for enforcing the law against the use of drugs by bus drivers. Officials mentioned that regulations relevant to this matter under the Motor Traffic Act are currently in the final stage of preparation. The need to promptly implement these regulations and to properly establish the technological mechanisms required to detect drug substances in the bodies of drivers was highlighted. This Sub-Committee primarily examines possible short-term and long-term changes to laws and regulations related to the transport sector, following which a report containing the necessary recommendations is to be prepared. Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva also participated in this Sub-Committee meeting.
2025-04-10
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) of Parliament, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera, conducted a field investigation at the Bandaranaike International Airport on 09.04.2025. The COPE recently (2025.04.02) reviewed the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project in connection with the Auditor General's Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and the current performance of the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL), and accordingly conducted this field investigation. It was expected that the number of aircraft stands at Bandaranaike International Airport would be increased through the construction of a Remote Apron and Taxiways as part of the Bandaranaike International Airport Development Project. However, it was observed that both the AASL and the Japanese joint venture company hired for design and consultancy services had undertaken these activities without proper technical or operational analysis. As a result, achieving the project's objectives proved challenging. Despite several weaknesses and practical challenges identified at the planning stage, the Committee noted that steps were taken to complete the project. Accordingly, the solutions already proposed by AASL to achieve the desired objectives of the project were also observed. The COPE members held extensive discussions with local representatives from the Japanese joint venture and senior officials from relevant institutions. During these discussions, the Committee expressed displeasure over the financial losses incurred by the government due to these oversight issues and poor planning. The Committee recommended that, to prevent further misuse of public funds in future development activities, attention must be given to the issues arising during planning stages. The Committee decided to reconvene with the officials from AASL in the near future to continue discussions on the matter. The field inspection was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament M.K.M. Aslam, Samanmali Gunasinghe, Lieutenant Commander (Retd.) Prageeth Madhuranga, Ruwan Mapalagama, Sunil Rajapaksa, Thilina Samarakoon, and Chandima Hettiarachchi, along with officials from relevant institutions and parliamentary officials.
2025-04-10
More than 80 of the recommendations made by the Committee on Public Petitions during the fifth session of the ninth Parliament have not been implemented A decision was taken by the Committee to Review Non-Implementation of Recommendations of the Parliamentary Committees to grant a period of one month for the implementation of recommendations given by the Parliamentary Committees, which have not yet been implemented. This decision was taken during the meeting of the Committee held yesterday (Apr. 09) at the Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney at Law Accordingly, discussions were held on identifying the priority non-implemented recommendations that should be reviewed by the Committee. During the discussion, it was disclosed that over 80 recommendations issued by the Committee on Public Petitions during the Fifth Session of the Ninth Parliament have not been implemented. Furthermore, the Committee also decided to grant a period of one month for the implementation of recommendations that have not been acted upon, which were issued by the Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE), Committee on Public Accounts (CoPA), and Committee on Public Finance (CoPF). As such, the Committee decided to issue letters to the respective Ministry Secretaries requesting the implementation of these non-implemented recommendations. If it is not possible to implement them within one month, the reasons for the non-implementation must be submitted in writing to the Committee. Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Oshani Umanga, and several Parliamentary officials were present at this meeting
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