News
Showdown expected in House today over govt. move to transfer Police Commission powers to IGP
Parliament is scheduled to debate today what the Opposition describes as a move to transfer the powers of the National Police Commission to the IGP.
An agreement was reached by the Opposition and the ruling party to hold the debate.
A motion was presented by Opposition MP Sujeewa Senasinghe on Tuesday morning, seeking Parliament to intervene in safeguarding the powers of the National Police Commission.
A tense situation arose in Parliament yesterday (08) over the issue of police transfers.
Chief Opposition Whip Galle District MP Gayantha Karunathilaka demanded to know how police transfers were carried out by the IGP, bypassing the Police Commission. He called for an end to that practice.
Kuruengala District SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekara said that since 2017, police transfers had been handled by the National Police Commission, and that delegating its authority to the IGP, at this stage, would be inappropriate.
He pointed out that 32 SSPs and several DIGs had already been transferred without the approval of the National Police Commission.
In response, the Speaker said the matter would be referred to the Constitutional Council.
Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa said that the primary role of the National Police Commission was to ensure depoliticisation, and that it should not be reduced to a puppet of the government.
Comments from several Opposition MPs, including Chaminda Wijesiri, Sujeewa Senasinghe, and Ranjith Madduma Bandara, sparked heated arguments.
SJB Moneragala District MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara alleged that the government was intimidating the Police Commission.
Chief Government Whip Health and Mass Media Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that the transfers were being carried out in accordance with the Police Commission’s directives.
He said that in some cases, the Commission had granted the IGP permission to proceed and that there was now a mechanism in place for appeals to be submitted to the Commission.
The Minister clarified that previously there had been no provision for appeal regarding transfers made by the Commission, but that was now possible.
Several Opposition MPs claimed that the government was steadily moving toward establishing a police state.
The government rejected the allegation.
By Saman Indrajith
News
Cabinet nod to appoint Mrs. Tharani Kumaradasa to the Post of Commissioner of Cooperative Development / Cooperative Society Registrar
The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal
furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development to appoint Mrs. Tharani Kumaradasa, a Grade I officer in Sri Lanka Administrative Service, serving in a post of Senior Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development to the post of Commissioner of Cooperative Development / Cooperative Society Registrar
News
Cabinet nod to hold 28th joint Asia Pacific Regional Social Workshop from 18-21 November in Sri Lanka
It has been planned to conduct the 28th Joint Asia-Pacific Regional Social Workshop from 18th November 2025 to 21st November 2025 in Sri Lanka, and 13 local representatives and 104 foreign representatives from 30 countries will participate in the said summit.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security,
and Community Empowerment to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Social Development Institute and the Society of Professionals engaged in Sri Lankan social services to conduct the aforementioned workshop in Sri Lanka and obtain the necessary institutional support to
conduct the said summit.
As per the current national policy of the government to make public transport in Sri Lanka efficient and streamlined, the necessity of establishing multi-modal transport hubs with required facilities has been identified to enable efficient public transport services to be initiated from transit cities and main cities through the interconnection between transport modes.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved in principle the proposal presented by the Acting Minister of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development to develop the following multi-modal transport hubs on a priority basis, with the objective of upgrading the interconnection of transport modes such as buses, trains, and taxi services by integrating bus stands and railway stations identified as having a growing passenger circulation on the island, subject to a formal feasibility study.
• Kandy Multimodal Transport Hub (Construction work has already been started under world bank financing)
• Anuradhapura (South) Multimodal Transport Hub (Constructions are about to be completed under the Anuradhapura combined urban development project)
• Anuradhapura (North) Multimodal Transport Hub (feasibility study has been performed and preliminary work completed)
• Multimodal Transport Hub centered around the Fort Railway Station (as proposed by the ComTrans Master Plan, which has been prepared for urban transport in Colombo and suburbs)
• Moratuwa Multimodal Transport Center (proposed by the ComTrans Master Plan)
• Ragama Multimodal Transport Center ( identified through a study conducted by the Japan International Coorperation Agency)
• Avissawella, Galle, Katunayake, Kurunegala Multimodal Transport Centers (identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority)
• Gampaha Multimodal Transport Center ((identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority and railway electrification of the Colombo Suburban Railway Project)
• Katunayake Multimodal Transport Hub (identified under the Airport Development Plan)
• Kaluthara Multimodal Transport Center (identified as a proposal of the District coordination Committee)
• Kankasanthure Multimodal Transport Center(identified according to the urban plans of the Urban Development Authority)
Suicide bombing in Islamabad kills 12, says Pakistan’s interior minister
Israel parliament passes first reading of death penalty for ‘terrorism’ law
Cabinet nod to appoint Mrs. Tharani Kumaradasa to the Post of Commissioner of Cooperative Development / Cooperative Society Registrar
Cabinet nod to hold 28th joint Asia Pacific Regional Social Workshop from 18-21 November in Sri Lanka
Establishment of multi-modal transport hubs
Cabinet approves restructuring of the Sri Lanka Housing Development Finance Corporation Bank and the State Mortgage and Investment Bank
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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