The Peradeniya university administration has advised the university community to remain vigilant after several cattle reared at the livestock farm of its Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, were killed and eaten by leopards.

When inquired about the matter, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Terrence Madhujith, said advisory notices have been issued to the university community following several incidents where leopards from the Hanthana area entered the cattle sheds at night and preyed on the animals.

Prof. Madhujith said: “We have instructed students and staff to avoid wandering alone within the university premises during the night and early morning hours. We have also taken steps to put up

warning boards across the campus. Footage from the university’s CCTV system shows these leopards killing and feeding on the cattle, and their movements within on the campus have also been recorded. We have informed students and staff to immediately notify the security divisions if a leopard is spotted. We have briefed the Department of Wildlife Conservation on this issue. The university community has been urged to act with extreme caution and follow necessary safety measures.”

By S.K. Samaranayake

The Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) yesterday in a statement assured the public that banks would continue to operate on all five weekdays as an essential service, despite the temporary measures introduced to conserve fuel and energy resources.

The statement said: Accordingly, banks will remain open from Monday to Friday, including Wednesdays, with operations on Wednesdays limited to the hours of 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Customers will therefore continue to have access to core banking services throughout the week without disruption.

Reaffirming its commitment to supporting national priorities during this period, the SLBA urged customers to make greater use of digital and online banking channels, including mobile banking applications and internet banking platforms, to carry out routine transactions. Customers are also encouraged to rationalise travel and visit bank branches only for essential requirements.

The Association emphasised that these measures are in line with broader efforts to conserve fuel and energy, and called onthe public to support the national initiative by avoiding non-essential travel and minimising unnecessary energy usage wherever possible.

The SLBA expressed confidence that the prevailing global uncertainties impacting fuel supplies will stabilise in the near term, enabling Sri Lanka’s economy to continue its forward momentum without prolonged disruption.

The Sri Lanka Banks’ Association is the apex body representing all Licensed Commercial Banks and Licensed Specialised Banks in the country.

Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Ratnayake yesterday told Parliament that issues faced by the public in obtaining fuel QR codes would be addressed within the day.

Responding to a query, the Minister said fuel consumption in several districts had risen to nearly double the usual levels, placing added strain on the distribution system.

He said difficulties in accessing QR codes had primarily affected individuals using mismatched vehicle and phone number records, including owners of older vehicles with new phone numbers and those with newly registered vehicles linked to old numbers. He assured that steps were being taken to rectify these issues promptly.

The Minister noted that no such complications had been reported among users with consistent records, such as old vehicles paired with original phone numbers or new vehicles registered with updated contact details.

Providing an update on the system, he said around seven million users were registered under the QR programme in 2023, with the figure expected to increase to approximately 7.2 million this year. At present, about 5.5 million users have completed registration.

He said approximately 2.7 million outdated entries in the database had been removed over a two-day period as part of system improvements.

Minister Ratnayake said some filling stations had reported sales volumes reaching up to two-and-a-half times normal levels, exerting pressure on storage and distribution capacities. He urged the public to avoid panic, expressing confidence that the situation would normalise by today.

He said the “odd-even” fuel distribution system had been introduced to ease unnecessary pressure, although the QR-based system alone was sufficient to manage distribution efficiently.

The Minister also clarified that vehicle owners without number plates could still obtain fuel by producing valid documentation, including a revenue licence, emission certificate, vehicle registration certificate or insurance certificate, all of which carry the registration number.

He added that once the system stabilises, authorities would take action against any fraudulent activities linked to fuel distribution.

By Saman Indrajith