News
Engineers’ fight at CEB heading for showdown
By Ifham Nizam
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) was trying its utmost to block ongoing investigations into the countrywide blackout on 03 December and undermine the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) General Manager M.R. Ranatunga, a senior official of the Ceylon Electricity Board Senior Engineers’ Association (CEBSEA) alleged yesterday.
CEBSEA spokesperson Engineer Nandika Pathirage told The Island yesterday that CEBEU was strongly opposed to the General Manager getting an extension in service although according to the new government policy as stated in the budget 2022 he could serve the Board until he reached 62 years.
“This is a fundamental right issue concerning the most senior engineer of the CEB. The CEBEU non-cooperation strategy is to get rid of the General Manager,” he claimed.
He also said that as senior engineers, they were well aware that a thorough investigation would undoubtedly reveal the ‘culprits’ including the team behind the recent sabotage and that the breakdown in the main transmission line and the power outages were pre-planned.
Pathirage, himself a former CEBEU President, also stressed that attempts had been made to delete the relevant data as soon as the power was disrupted.
CEBSEA had asked the government and the Public Utilities Commission to conduct a prompt and fair investigation into recent Power outages. “The General Manager foiled the move to delete the real cause of the power outage, and there is another conspiracy to remove him and obstruct the investigation,” he said.
Meanwhile, denying charges levelled by its rivals, the CEBEU said that it would go all out to win its demands especially the cancellation of the backdoor deals with the US firm.
Addressing the 58th Annual General Meeting of The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) held on Monday (27) at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, President Ranil Wickremesinghe outlined a comprehensive strategy to propel the country’s tourism sector to new heights. Focused on surpassing the target of 5 million tourists and redefining traditional approaches, the President’s vision extends to achieving 7.5 million visitors in the coming years. The President emphasized the need for innovative thinking and collaboration within the industry to ensure sustainable growth.
“When I took over the government, I realized that sustainability alone is not sufficient. How are we going to earn foreign exchange? How are we going to have a positive balance of trade? In that, there were many suggestions. But what is the low-hanging fruit? And one of the low-hanging fruits was tourism. Let’s promote tourism fully,” President Wickremesinghe declared.
The President acknowledged the need to move beyond the existing framework and embrace competition to elevate Sri Lanka’s standing in the global tourism market. Drawing parallels with countries like Vietnam, he questioned why they had more tourists despite being in the industry for a shorter period. President Wickremesinghe stressed the importance of increasing the number of tourists to 2.5 million in the upcoming year and subsequently expanding on this figure.
(PMD)
Business
Free visas for nationals of China, India, Indonesia, Russsia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan from Monday (27)
The Controller General of Immigration and Emigration has stated that nationals of China, India, Indonesia, Russsia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan will be granted free visas from Monday 27-11-2023 to 31-03-2024 as a pilot program to rebuild the tourism industry.
Nationals of the above nominated countries possessing, Diplomatic, Official, Public Affairs, Services and Ordinary Passports are eligible to enjoy a visa free regime under this scheme.
The above mentioned nationals should apply for Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before arriving in Sri Lanka subject to granting / issuing free of charge up to 31-03-2024.
Under this scheme tourists can enjoy a 30 days free visa period and a double entry facility is permitted within 30 days from the date of first arrival in Sri Lanka.
Free ETA under this scheme can be applied up to 31-03-2024.
The free ETA cannot be extended further and is limited only to thirty (30) days. In case the free ETA period of 30 days expires after 31-03-2024, an extension of visa could be applied subject to paying the appropriate fee.
Latest News
Cabinet gives green light for Colombo Port City Order No. 3 of 2023 to be presented in Parliament
The President in his capacity as the Minister of Investment Promotion has published the Colombo Port City Orders No. 3 of 2023 (Enterprises with Strategic Value – Guidelines for releasing or encouraging to award for customs – free enterprises) under the provisions of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act No. 11 of 2021 by the extraordinary gazette notification No. 2355/30 dated 25.10.2023.
The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal furnished by the Hon. President in his capacity as the Minister of Investment Promotions to submit the said orders to the Parliament for its concurrence.
(PMD)
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