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Timber Corporation earned Rs 1.4 bn profit and transferred only Rs 100 mn to Treasury

Published

4 years ago

2022/04/29

By Saman Indrajith

The State Timber Corporation earned an operating profit of Rs. 1.4 billion in 2021, but transferred only Rs. 100 million to the Treasury. This came to light when the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) questioned a high-ranking state official recently.

COPE Chairman Prof. Charitha Herath said that the annual revenue earned by state institutions should be received by the State Treasury.

The COPE Chairman said state institutions should be prepared to send a significant portion of their earnings to the Treasury.

The Chairman said so when the officials of the State Timber Corporation was summoned before COPE recently to examine the Auditor General’s Reports for 2019 and 2020 and to evaluate their performance.

The COPE noted that the Forest Department had granted approval to the State Timber Corporation on 30 June 2020 for the removal of 28,958 pine trees from the Hein Ford Estate in Weligampola, Kandy but the trees had not yet been removed. Member of the Committee Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Member of Parliament said the State Timber Corporation could have earned a hugh profit if it has carried out that task

It was also revealed that the Committee on Public Enterprises on 10 October 2012 had directed that action be taken to amend the Corporation Act to empower the State Timber Corporation to issue a certificate for imported timber, but that had not been done. Officials of the Timber Corporation said a board paper had been submitted for this purpose. The COPE also drew attention to the delays in the process from 2012 to date.

The COPE inquired into a write off of Rs. 14.4 million worth of debt by the Corporation without the approval of the Treasury. The officials said that the decision had been taken by the then Acting Board of Directors in 2007 with the approval of the Corporate Audit and Management Committee. The COPE Chairman said that since the Secretary to the Treasury was in charge of the Consolidated Fund for Public Debt, if debts are written off, the Chief Accounting Officer should inform the Secretary to the Treasury and obtain permission.

The COPE said that in 2012, it had directed that the loss making Kaldemulla Furniture Factory should be turned into a profitable venture, but there had been no improvement.

The COPE Chairman stated that the furniture outlets owned by the Corporation as a whole had incurred huge losses. The Auditor General stated that the waste of large quantities of timber in the production of furniture had been observed as a reason for these losses and that byproducts of discarded timber could help reduce this loss to some extent. That was due to the lack of employees with proper knowledge of furniture manufacturing and the need to compete with the private sector in the market, the officials of the Timber Corporation said.

The COPE Chairman instructed the Secretary to the Ministry to send a report within one month on the future course of action to be taken in consultation with relevant officials.

The COPE also noted that two advisors and a driver had been recruited for the Chairman of the Corporation in contravention of the circular. The recruits were paid an allowance of Rs. 2,850 per day for 270 days, a sum of Rs. 769,500, from 12 February to 3 September 2019. Although the approval of the General Treasury had been sought for this purpose, it was not received and the COPE Chairman directed the Secretary to the Ministry to take legal action against the relevant Chairperson.

The COPE noted that the corporation had incurred a loss of Rs. 982,473 after reducing the price of items valued at Rs. 1,690,183 by more than 50 percent to Rs. 707,710 and the General Manager of the Corporation stated that this decision had been taken due to the fact that the furniture was in a defective condition after being kept for too long without disposal. The Chairman said that if such concessions could be justified, a Board Memorandum should be submitted and the Auditor General’s Department should be informed.

The COPE meeting was attended by Members of Parliament Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Jagath Pushpakumara, Harsha de Silva, Eran Wickramaratne, Indika Anuruddha, Sagara Kariyawasam, Madhura Withanage as well as the Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation and officials of the State Timber Corporation.

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Warning for deep depression over South-east Bay of Bengal Sea area

Published

26 mins ago

2026/01/8

Priyan

Deep depression Track. [Source: RSMC]

Warning for deep depression over South-east Bay of Bengal Sea area.
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre, Department of Meteorology at 10.30 a.m. on 08 January 2026 for the period until 10.30 a.m. 09 January 2026

The depression in the Bay of Bengal to the southeast of Sri Lanka has intensified into a deep depression and is centered near latitude 5.4°N and longitude 85.3°E, about 420 km southeast of Pottuvil at 05.30 a.m. today (08th). The above system is currently (10:00 a.m.) located about 300 km southeast of Pottuvil.

It is very likely to move west-northwestwards across the southwest Bay of Bengal and cross the Sri Lanka coast between Hambantota and Kalmunai between 5.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. on Friday [9th January 2026].

Hence, showery, and windy condition over the island, particularly in the Northern, NorthCentral, Eastern, Uva and Central provinces is expected to enhance from today (08th).

For the Land area:

DAMAGE EXPECTED:
• Damage to huts, temporary shelters and light structures
• Destroy the roof tops/ sheets etc.
• Damage to power and communication lines.
• Breaking of tree branches and uprooting of large avenue trees.
• Damage to paddy crops, banana, papaya trees and orchards.
• Damage to harbor yachts
• Flash flood
• Sea water inundation in low lying areas in the near coast.

Action suggested for the Land area:
• Coastal hutment dwellers are advised to move to safer places. Other people in the affected areas to remain indoors.
• People living in hilly areas (particularly landslide prone areas) and low lying areas in river basins are requested to be vigilant.
• Drivers and people using roads in the hilly areas are requested to be vigilant.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• General public is requested to be vigilant regarding impending extreme weather situation.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
• Requested to be attentive about future advisories issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.

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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces and showers about 50-75 mm in other areas

Published

6 hours ago

2026/01/8

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 08 JANUARY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 January 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The depression over the Bay of Bengal, located to the southeast of Sri Lanka, was centered near latitude 5.3°N and longitude 86.0°E, about 490 km southeast of Pottuvil, at 11:30 p.m. yesterday (07). It is expected to move west-northwestwards and towards the eastern coast of the island during next 24 hours. This system is likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next 12 hours.

Cloudy skies can be expected over most parts of the island.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern, North-central, Eastern, Uva, Central and Southern provinces. Showers or thundershowers may occur at several places elsewhere in the Island after 1.00 p.m. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Eastern and Uva provinces. Fairly Heavy showers about (50 – 75) mm are likely at some places in the other areas of the island.

Strong winds about (50-60) kmph can be expected at times over the Eastern slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota, Gampaha, Colombo and Monaragala districts.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

News

Easter Sunday attacks: Govt. says wife of Katuwapitiya Church bomber alive

Published

7 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Sara Jasmine

Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala told Parliament yesterday that information uncovered during ongoing investigations indicated that Pulasthini Mahendran, also known as Sara Jasmine, linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks, was not dead.

Responding to a question raised by Opposition MP Mujibur Rahuman, the Minister said there was no confirmation that Sara Jasmine was currently in India, despite speculation to that effect. He added that investigators suspected she may have fled the country and stressed that further inquiries were underway to establish her whereabouts.

“If necessary, the government will take steps to obtain a warrant,” Wijepala said, noting that legal action related to the Easter attacks had already been initiated, based on available evidence.

Minister Wijepala said the new government had launched an thorough probe to determine whether a political or other conspiracy had been behind the attacks that killed more than 270 people in 2019. However, he declined to disclose certain details in Parliament, citing the risk of hampering investigations.

Sara Jasmine, Mohammed Hashtun, who bombed St. Sebastian’s Church, in Katuwapitiya, in 2019, was long presumed to have died in a suicide blast in Sainthamaruthu, days after the attacks. Wijepala said attempts by previous administrations to establish her death had failed, with recent reports indicating that DNA tests conducted at the time were inconclusive.

During the debate, MP Rahuman recalled that senior figures, including then-Opposition MP Nalinda Jayatissa, had previously claimed Sara Jasmine was in India. He questioned why authorities had not sought an open warrant for her arrest whether the issue had been raised in talks with Indian officials.

Wijepala, responding on behalf of Deputy Minister of Defence Arun Jayasekara, said the government would not hesitate to pursue legal action, including warrants, if necessary.

By Saman Indrajith