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JVP, too, moves court against deal with US company

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By Chitra Weerarathne and A.J.A. Abeynayake

The JVP yesterday (26) filed a writ application in the Court of Appeal requesting it to declare null and void a Cabinet decision to transfer 40 percent of the Yugadanavi Power Plant to US Company, New Fortress Energy Inc.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ceylon Electricity Board, West Coast Power (Pvt) Ltd, Lakdanavi Limited, the Monetary Board of the Central Bank, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation have been named as respondents among 43 others.

The JVP’s petition has come in the way of Colombo’s Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and Ven Elle Gunawansa, the Samagi Jana Balavegaya and the Federation of National Organisations (FNO) moving the court against the controversial deal with US energy company,The application has also sought a writ of mandamus on the respondents preventing them from taking any action with regard to the matter until the application is taken up and its examination is concluded.

Former JVP MPs Sunil Handunnetti and Wasantha Samarasinghe are the petitioners.

The petitioners state that the Cabinet decisions undermine the rule of law, the Constitution and democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution and several other statutes, and conventions of democratic governance and Cabinet of Ministers exercising executive powers.

The petitioners state that LTL Holdings (Pvt) Ltd., is the largest power sector engineering company in the country. It was first incorporated in the 1980s as a joint venture of the Ceylon Electricity Board and a multinational group – ABB of Norway.

The Petitioners state that Lakdanavi (Pvt) Ltd., is a fully owned subsidiary of LTL Holdings (Pvt) Ltd., and is a company specialised in engineering, procurement and construction and operations and maintenance in the energy and power generation sector.

They assert that the government has not properly explained particulars of the deal even to the Cabinet of Ministers when transferring the shares of the power plant to the American company.

They have also alleged that the government has not obtained the approval of Parliament for the agreement in question and that the relevant share transfer process has not been carried out in accordance with a formal tender procedure.

They have sought the Appeals Court to issue an order rescinding the decision taken to transfer the shares to the American company and the agreement signed by the government.

In addition, the General Secretary of the SJB MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara filed a Fundamental Rights application in the Supreme Court on 21 Oct., challenging the government decision to transfer 40 per cent of the Kerawalapitiya Power Plant to the US firm.



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Nadu Rice Prices Set: wholesale Rs. 225, retail Rs. 230

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President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed rice traders to sell Nadu rice to consumers at a wholesale price of Rs. 225 per kilo and a retail price of Rs. 230 per kilo.

The President also instructed the officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority to closely monitor the situation over the next ten days and strictly enforce the law against rice mill owners who fail to comply with the fixed prices.

President Dissanayake made these remarks during a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, along with rice traders, at the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday (07).

The President highlighted that the largest investments in the country are allocated to the Ministry of Highways, followed by the Irrigation and Agriculture sectors, with substantial subsidies provided to farmers.

The President further pointed out that low-interest bank loans have been provided to traders for the purchase of paddy and urged rice traders not to undermine the public’s right to access affordable rice.

As a result, the following rice prices will be implemented
• Wholesale price of a kilo of Nadu rice: Rs. 225, Retail price: Rs. 230
• Wholesale price of a kilo of white rice: Rs. 215, Retail price: Rs. 220
• Retail price of a kilo of imported Nadu rice: Rs. 220
• Wholesale price of a kilo of Samba rice: Rs. 235, Retail price: Rs. 240
• Wholesale price of a kilo of Keeri Samba: Rs. 255, Retail price: Rs. 260

The President also strongly criticized rice mill owners for frequently changing rice prices on a daily basis and instructed the Consumer Affairs Authority to monitor the daily rice production and distribution by mills.

Furthermore, President Dissanayake urged the rice traders to collaborate with the government in resolving the rice-related issues in an amicable manner.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development A. Wimalenthirajah, Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation D.P. Wickramasinghe, Director General of the Department of Development Finance Malarmathy Gangatharan, Acting Director General of the Department of Agriculture Dr. S.K. Wasala, Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority Hemantha Samarakoon, Chairman of the Paddy Marketing Board A.M.U. Pinnalanda, Director of the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural Research and Training Institute A.L. Chandika, among other officials.

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EC warns of legal action against candidates not compiling expense report

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ECONOMYNEXT –The Election Commission (EC) has warned all candidates who have failed to submit their election campaign income and expenditure after contested in the November 14 parliament polls.

The Election Commission has set a deadline to submit the income and expenditure reports for 12 midnight on Friday, December 06, 2024.

R M A L Ratnayake, the Chairman of the EC said only few have submitted their reports so far.

“It is not only for those who have elected to the parliament, but those all who contested the election. They all should file their expenditure reports, Ratnayake told in a video clip circulated by the EC.

“I specially urge all candidates to fulfil this obligation without facing any legal actions.”

“In the event of a legal action, those candidates who face legal action are sometimes likely to lose their opportunity of contesting in local government or provincial council polls.”

Out of the total 8,361 candidates, around 24 percent or 1,985 have submitted their reports to the Election Commission as at 3 pm on Tuesday (03), the Commission said in a statement.

Out of a total 690 political parties and independent groups, only 15.4 percent (106) and out of 527 named national list members, only 10.8 percent (57) have so far submitted their reports, the EC said.

The Regulation of Election Expenditure Act is effective for the first time in Sri Lanka for a Parliament poll.

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Hand or Chair: the SLFP’s dilemma

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By Aruna Bogahawatte

The SLFP is facing a serious internal crisis as multiple factions within the party vie for control over the symbol to contest the upcoming local government elections, sources reveal.

One faction, led by Nimal Siripala de Silva, supported the National Democratic Front during the presidential elections and contested under the gas cylinder symbol. Some members from this group also ran in the general elections under the same symbol, securing a single seat in Parliament. This faction, supported by key figures such as Mahinda Amaraweera, Duminda Dissanayake, and several former MPs, believes the party should contest the local government elections under the traditional SLFP symbol, the ‘Hand.’

On the other side, a faction led by SLFP Treasurer Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Anura Priyadarshana Yapa is pushing to contest under the People’s Alliance symbol, the ‘Chair.’ They point to the success of this symbol in the recent Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha elections, where they secured two seats.

Amid this turmoil, SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekera has offered to take on the role of SLFP Chairman if all factions can unite and set aside their differences for the sake of a stronger showing in the elections. Jayasekera said that he had discussed the same with Alagiyawanna and Dissanayake.

“The SLFP is now almost flattened to the ground, but I still believe it could be a formidable force in the next election if its leaders come together without delay,” Jayasekera said.

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