News
Minister Johnston assures Malwatte prelate that Central Expressway will be completed by 2024
Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando on Sunday vowed to complete the construction of the Central Expressway from Colombo to Kandy by 2024.
The Minister gave this pledge in response to a request made by Anunayake of Malwatte Chapter Ven. Dimbulkumbure Wimaladhamma Nayake Thera during a ceremony held in Kurunegala to hand over the Upapradhana Sanghanayake of the Satkorala Mahadisave and Dharmakeerthi title to Chief Incumbent of the Sri Nandarama in Thoradeniya Ven. Denike Sirinivasa Ananda Thera.
The Anunayake Thera requested the minister to complete the expressway construction as it was the former’s wish to see people from Colombo to Kandy could traverse easily in the expressway to worship the Dalada Maligawa. “I traveled to Matara yesterday and I could come to Kadawatha within two hours thanks to the Southern Expressway. When we travel from Colombo to Kandy it would take more than four hours. Vehicles in Colombo-Kandy road cannot overtake one another because the road is so narrow in most places. The ministers from the Central Province did nothing to solve this problem. Kandy is the second main city of this country but people cannot come there without hindrance and difficulty because the governments could not complete the expressway to Kandy. I am 81 years old now and it is my wish to see people coming to worship the Dalada Maligawa using the Central Expressway,” Wimaladhamma Nayake Thera said.
Minister Fernando pledged to complete the construction work of the Central Expressway by 2024. “The foundation stone for the expressway was laid by the fifth executive president Mahinda Rajapaksa in November 2014 and work started in Galagedara, Kurunegala and Dambulla. Following his election loss, the yahapalana government came to power and stopped all the work. They canceled the projects. The cancellations were due to political reasons because they did not want to give credit to our work. If there was no government change in 2015, the work of the Central Expressway could have been completed in 2018. After canceling the projects, the yahapalana started to work on the expressway in 2017 but they could not pay the contractors. At the time we came to power there were arrears to contractors to the tune of Rs 36 billion. That amount was paid within 60 days after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed duties. We could open the road from Mirigama to Kurunegala. There were cases against it but we could complete and open it for the public use. We commenced the work on the section from Pothuhera to Rambukkana under direct contracting system. Some Opposition members recently raised baseless allegations of massive corruption running to billions of rupees in building the Central expressway. Their target is to derail our work. I responded to those allegations and it is our hope to commence the work of the final 20 kilometers of the expressway to Kandy soon. We hope we can sign the agreements with construction companies within two weeks,” the Minister said.
The official appointment letters for the members of the newly established “Cricket Transformation Committee” (CTC) were handed over on Monday (04) by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.
The following members received their letters of appointment at the Ministry premises:
Sidath Wettimuny
Thushira Radella
Prakash Schaffter
Ms. Avanthi Colombage
The Ministry also noted that veteran cricketers Roshan Mahanama and Kumar Sangakkara, who are key members of the committee, are currently overseas. Their official appointments will be formalised immediately upon their arrival in Sri Lanka.
The Cricket Transformation Committee has been mandated to oversee the administration and drive structural reforms within Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in accordance with the powers vested in the Minister under the Sports Act No. 25 of 1973.
Three prison guards attached to the Welikada Prison have been arrested by Borella Police following the death of an inmate on Monday (04).
‘Bar Association must reveal its stand’
Civil society group ‘Free Lawyers’ has requested Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena to probe whether political pressure was brought on a Magistrate, or a High Court Judge, in respect of an ongoing high profile case.
Speaking to The Island on behalf of ‘Free Lawyers,’ Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon said that they felt the urgent need to seek the CJ’s intervention, following the May Day declaration by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that the verdict of a case that was heard on 30 April would be given on 25 May. Tennakoon said that addressing the NPP’s main May Day rally at Maharagama, the President asked the people to be ready to celebrate that verdict. The President couldn’t have said so if he hadn’t been aware of the impending verdict, Tennakoon said, while emphasising the responsibility on the part of the Bar Association to state its position on the issue.
‘Free Lawyers’ recently captured pubic attention following its exposure of the theft of USD 2.5 mn from the Treasury.
Responding to a query, Tennakoon said that on behalf of ‘Free Lawyers,’ Maithri Gunaratne, PC, on Monday, 4 April, wrote to both CJ Surasena and President of the Bar Association Rajeev Amarasuriya.
Alleging that President Dissanayake’s declaration caused immense harm to the independence of the judiciary and raised controversy over the judgement that would be given on 25 May, ‘Free Lawyers’ organisation also asked the CJ to inquire into whether the entire judicial process was under political pressure.
Tennakoon said that they expect the Bar Association to reveal its position on President Dissanayake’s statement. Tennakoon pointed out that during the May Day address, President Dissanayake made reference to 15 cases that were to be taken up during this month, whereas Transport, Highways and Urban Development Minister, as well as Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake, mentioned nearly 10 names of politicians, both sitting and former lawmakers, to be summoned beginning, May.
Tennakoon said that the NPP appeared to have used May Day to counter growing accusations over the Colombo port container controversy, coal scam, Rs 13.2 bn NDB fraud and theft of USD 2.5 mn from the Treasury and USD 625,000 from the Sri Lanka Postal Service.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
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