Chamal also seeks compensation

 Monday, 16 December 2013 

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa 

has said that he was also entitled to compensation paid to farmers who had lost crops due to floods.

Rajapaksa has told parliament that although he was also entitled to compensation for lost crops, he had only received seed paddy.

Speaking during a statement made by UNP MP P. Harrison on the delay in making compensation payments to farmers as assured by the government, Speaker Rajapaksa has said that all the farmers whose paddy crop had been destroyed were entitled to compensation in addition to seed paddy.

However, Minister S.M. Chandrasena has said that compensation had been paid to the farmers who lost their crops due to floods under a maximum limit of Rs. 30,000 per acre.

UPFA to appoint committee to probe defeats in local government bodies

 Monday, 16 December 2013 

The governing UPFA is to 

appoint a committee to probe the recent string of defeats in local government bodies headed by the governing party.

UPFA General Secretary, Minister Susil Premajayantha has issued a release stating that the governing party heads of the local government bodies should ensure that the 2014 budgets in their respective bodies are not defeated.

He has observed that while a committee will be appointed to probe the defeats experienced in many local government bodies, governing party heads and members of the local government bodies will be summoned to Colombo for a meeting.

He has added that another committee will be appointed to hold disciplinary inquiries against the governing party members who have voted against the 2014 budgets in their respective bodies.

The UPFA is to also appoint a committee to advice the local government bodies where the 2014 budgets have been defeated on winning the second vote on the budgets.

However, the governing party has lost the budgets in 15 local government bodies and eight governing party heads in local government bodies will lose their positions.