News
Programme to remove oil palms gets underway
By Ifham Nizam
Acting on the instructions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has initiated a programme to eradicate Oil Palm (Katupol) cultivation in Sri Lanka and introduce alternative cultivations on those lands.
Accordingly, all oil palms in Sri Lanka would be removed, CEA Chairman S. Amarasinghe said.
Oil palm cultivations, at present, covers some 12,000 hectares in Sri Lanka.
The project is expected to be completed within five years with 20 per cent of the earmarked land expected to be cleared and replaced with rubber, etc.
Steps had been taken to implement the plans in a manner that was not harmful to the environment during the implementation of the programme, an official said.
The preliminary discussion, regarding the removal of oil palm cultivation, was held on Monday at the Central Environmental Authority.
The meeting was chaired by the CEA Chairman and attended by the Directors of the CEA and officials of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Plantation Industries.
District Secretaries of Kegalle and Galle, the Deputy District Secretary of the Kalutara District and a representative of the Matara District Secretary were also present.
The Assistant Director of the Rubber Research Institute and representatives of the Environmental Police Division also participated in the discussion. Arrangements have been made to hold the proposed Inter-Ministerial Committee Meeting on this programme on May 11 at the Ministry of Environment under the patronage of Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment.
The Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) has contributed LKR 25 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund.
The cheque was handed over to the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake by the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeyesekera, the Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Senior Vice Chairman Kusal Nissanka at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
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