News
Port City Bill: Kiriella questions bona fides of govt.
By Saman Indrajith
Chief Opposition Whip and SJB Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella yesterday questioned the bona fides of the government with regard to the Colombo Port Economic Commission Bill.
Addressing the media at the Opposition Leader’s office in Colombo, MP Kiriella said that the government had been in a mighty hurry to present the Bill to Parliament on April 08. “I was in the Chamber in the evening of April 08. The government did not inform the party leaders’ meeting held the week before that it would present such a bill. The timing of the presenting of the bill too raises doubts. It seems that the government wanted to block the process of challenging the bill in the Supreme for its constitutionality. It was presented to the House while the country was getting ready to celebrate the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. With the intervening weekend and public holidays had just two working days to retain lawyers, many of whom were on vacation, and file applications challenging the constitutionality of the Bill in the Supreme Court within the one-week period stipulated in the Constitution. The intentions of the government with regard to the bill are crooked and not genuine right from the beginning because they knew that they were doing something wrong,” Kiriella said.
The Kandy District MP challenged the Government to bring about four changes to the draft Bill if the latter was truly genuine in its intentions with regard to the Bill. “We propose to bring about a clause or section to the draft Bill making it answerable to Parliament. So that parliament’s supremacy over public finances would be guaranteed and the parliamentary committees such as Committee on Public Enterprises and Committee on Public Accounts would be able to oversee the proposed Colombo Port Economic Commission. In addition, it should be made compulsory for the CPEC to submit their annual reports on finances and performance to Parliament. Third proposal is that a clause should be introduced to the draft bill without any uncertain terms preventing money-laundering in the Port City area. Fourth, a section or clause should be inserted among the provisions of the draft bill preventing the inflow of funds from terrorist activities to the port city,” MP Kiriella said.
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.
During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.
Latest News
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.
The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025
The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.
ACTION REQUIRED:
The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:
Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.
The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.
This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.
The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.
The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.
INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo
Belgian prince loses bid for benefits on top of £300k royal allowance
Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district
-
Business22 hours agoColombo Coffee wins coveted management awards
-
Features2 days agoStarlink in the Global South
-
Business3 days agoDaraz Sri Lanka ushers in the New Year with 4.4 Avurudu Wasi Pro Max – Sri Lanka’s biggest online Avurudu sale
-
Business4 days agoStrengthening SDG integration into provincial planning and development process
-
Business3 days agoNew SL Sovereign Bonds win foreign investor confidence
-
Sports5 days agoTo play or not to play is Richmond’s decision
-
Features2 days agoModi’s Sri Lanka Sojourn
-
Sports4 days agoNew Zealand under 85kg rugby team set for historic tour of Sri Lanka