Rs 2.2 M on food and tea in three days
By Zahrah Imtiaz- July 25, 2014 The National Gem and Jewellery Authority has spent Rs 2.2 million on food and tea during the three days in which a land auction was held in Thammannawa, Kataragama, Democratic National Alliance (DNA) MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, alleged in Parliament yesterday (24).This was revealed when the MP raised questions on the auction of the gem land at Thammannawa in Kataragama. Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy Susil Premajayantha, in his is reply said the amount was spent over a year."There was a tense situation in the area as a result of the auction, and we had to deploy officers of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority and police officers of the Special Task Force on duty at the auction site even after the auction. This amount was spent to supply food and tea for these officers," explained the minister. Dissanayake however rejected the claim that the amount was......spent over a year and said he had evidence to show that the amount was spent on the three days on which the auction was held."Rs 2.2 million was spent in three days. I have the bills to prove it. How can you spend Rs 2.2 million on food for police officers who were guarding a few acres of land?" asked Dissanayake.Minister Premajayantha said the authority had earned Rs 271 million through the auction.He however, added that the payment for Lot 21 of the land has not been received as of yet as the initial cheque received was dishonoured. "A payment of Rs 2,964,625 still needs to be collected for that Lot. We have not pursued any legal action against the buyer as of yet," the minister said.With regards to allegation of money being inappropriately spent on food, Minister Premajaynatha said he would investigate further into the matter.
Sri Lankan journalists who are presently in Glasgow, Scotland to cover the 20th Commonwealth Games cannot decide who the chairman of SriLankan Airlines is – Nishantha Wickremasinghe, the brother of the first lady, or Nishantha Ranatunga, the brother of Arjuna Ranatunga.
Their indecision was prompted by an incident involving one of these Sri Lankan journalists, whose name we will not mention at his request. The journalist from a weekend newspaper had met Wickremasinghe to request for an airticket sponsored by SriLankan for him to go to Glasgow. The chairman has asked him to meet him in a few days, bringing a letter from the editor and several other documents along with him.
The journalist has gone to the office of the chairman several times, but could not meet him, and attempts to reach him over the phone too, failed. Hearing about his predicament, a colleague from another newspaper has mentioned to him that he could try Mihin Lanka CEO, and Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga.
Making several unsuccessful attempts to meet him, the journalist has then found Ranatunga’s phone number and gave him a call, asking him to give a sponsorship for half of the price of an economy class air-ticket, which is Rs. 185,000.
Less than an hour elapsed after the request, the Mihin Lanka CEO has generously provided the journalist with a business class ticket, worth nearly Rs. 400,000. He has then given a call to SriLankan chairman Wickremasinghe, related to him what had happened, and was told, “Now, child, you understand my situation. Good. Have a safe journey. May Jesus bless you!”
July 25, 2014
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa has had many words of praise for UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva after he had questioned in parliament on July 23 about the Mahinda Rajapaksa international airport at Mattala, the biggest white elephant of the Rajapaksa regime, opposition sources in parliament say.
