Port unions ask Minister to probe corruption at SLPA

Port trade unions yesterday urged Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister, Nimal Siripala de Silva, to conduct a proper investigation into waste and corruption in the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).

At a meeting between the Minister and representatives of 37 port trade unions, yesterday, at the auditorium of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Colombo, the unionists demanded that actions be taken against those responsible for waste and corruption.

Minister de Silva instructed Secretary to the Ministry K.D.S. Ruwanchandra to appoint an independent probe committee and ensure the participation of port trade union representatives therein.

Trade union representatives pointed out to the delay in the progress of construction of the East Container Terminal (ECT) and urged the Minister to take steps to expedite the work. The Minister said he had already made three site inspection visits to the East Container Terminal and efforts had been made to purchase the most essential cranes and other machinery, utilising USD 50.5 million from port financial allocations.

The Minister said he had instructed the project director to take measures to expedite constructions of the ECT to successfully complete the project without further delay. Trade union representatives pointed out that the previous SLPA Chairman and the then Management had not evinced any interest in obtaining a concessionary loan as agreed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and urged the Minister to probe the matter. They also requested the Minister to resolve the issues in the recruitment procedure of the SLPA.

The Secretary to the Ministry said that proposals as regards the matter had already been sent to the Management Services Department and National Salaries Commission for approval.