News
Govt. opts to establish mechanism to better utilize state bungalows
The Cabinet has approved a proposal to establish a mechanism for the economic utilisation of government bungalows, ‘Visumpaya,’ and presidential residences located across the country, currently managed by the Ministry of Public Administration, Cabinet spokesman and Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said yesterday.
There are 50 government bungalows in Colombo 05 and 07 besides the presidential residences in Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Mahiyanganaya, Anuradhapura, Kataragama, Jaffna, Embilipitiya, and Bentota, which fall under the administration of the Presidential Secretariat. However, aside from the residences in Colombo and Kandy, these properties are rarely utilised.
In addition, the official residences of several heads of state are managed by the Urban Development Authority (UDA), while the Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Nuwara Eliya is overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office. Despite significant expenditure on maintaining these properties, their underutilisation remains a concern, he said.
In response to this situation, the President and the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government have jointly proposed the development of a methodology to ensure these properties are used in a more economically beneficial manner. This proposal includes the formation of a committee tasked with investigating the matter and providing recommendations, Minister Jayatissa said.
The Committee, chaired by an Additional Secretary appointed by the Secretary of the UDA, will include the following members: an Additional Secretary nominated by the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, an Additional Secretary or senior officer named by the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, an Additional Secretary designated by the Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, the Director General of the Department of Archaeology, the Director General of the National Physical Planning Department, the Director General of the UDA, and a representative appointed by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. (RK)
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) on Friday said the largest groundwater source discovered in Sri Lanka so far had been identified during tube-well drilling near the Pitabeddara Police Station.
Indrajith Gamage, geologist in charge of the Southern Province, said the source recorded a continuous flow of about 10,000 litres (10 cubic metres) per minute, marking the first instance in the country where a groundwater source of that magnitude had been found.
He noted that the previous largest groundwater source was discovered in the Madhu area, which recorded a flow of about 7,000 litres per minute.
According to the NWSDB, the tube well was drilled following geological studies of rock layers and the identification of underground water through fractures in rock strata using specialised technical instruments.
The Board said steps would be taken to distribute water from the newly discovered source to residents facing shortages in Pitabeddara, Morawaka and surrounding areas.
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has formally handed over its historical records to the National Archives Department, entrusting over a century of the nation’s commercial history to the country’s official custodians of heritage.
The archive, spanning from the CCC’s founding in 1839 to 1973, includes correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, ledgers, and publications that chronicle the development of trade, enterprise, and industry in Sri Lanka. Together, the records provide a rare and detailed account of the island’s economic evolution and the role of its business community in shaping national progress.
The Ministry of Defence said on Friday (13) that arrangements had been made to repatriate to Iran the bodies of 84 sailors who died aboard the IRIS Dena, which sank in the southern seas off Sri Lanka.
A special aircraft carrying the bodies departed from Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport on Friday, the Ministry said, adding that the repatriation was carried out in coordination with the Embassy of Iran in Sri Lanka.
The remains had been kept in two mobile cold-storage units at the Galle National Hospital before being transported to Mattala by lorry following a court order. Forty-five bodies were moved in the morning, while the remaining 39 were transported later in the day.
Earlier this month, the Iranian naval vessel suffered an incident about 40 nautical miles off Port of Galle while carrying around 180 personnel. Thirty-five rescued sailors were admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital, while 84 bodies were subsequently recovered.
Following the incident, Pete Hegseth confirmed that the Iranian vessel had been sunk in international waters by a torpedo fired from a submarine of the United States Navy.
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