By Rathindra Kuruwita

Some of the politicians’s houses destroyed on 09 May had been estimated to be over 400 million rupees each and the government must investigate and find out how funds were raised for building them, Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Pubudu Jayagoda said.Jagoda said that Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, M. M. P. K Mayadunne had sent a letter to district secretaries asking them to stop all activities and prepare estimates of the damages caused to the properties of government politicians on 09 may.

“The District Secretaries had to stop all activities, even distributing dry rations to the needy, and work on this. There is a big hurry,” he said.

According to the estimates, some properties were worth over 400 million rupees each, Jagoda said, adding that a local councilor gets paid a very little amount of money and the question was how those politicians amassed fortunes to build houses that were over 400 million rupees each.

“Before paying any compensation, the government should look at these estimates. An independent auditor must assess the income of these politicians. If the politicians can’t explain how they financed these palaces, cases must be filed against these people for corruption,” Jayagoda said.

The FSP Education Secretary said that a number of people whose properties were destroyed had publicly stated the cost of damages caused to their houses. Even the soothsayer Gnana Akka has said her damaged house was worth over Rs. 260 million rupees, he said.

“This might be among the least valuable properties destroyed on 09 May. What about others whose properties were damaged due to riots? Is there any hurry to compensate for them? Several people were killed and many properties were damaged when gas explosions took place. Why wasn’t the government in a hurry to compensate them although the state-owned Litro was responsible for those incidents?” he asked.Jayagoda said that estimates of damages caused to all properties must be made public so that people would know the assets of their representatives.