Committee to evaluate US survey firm’s viability: Gayantha
A Committee headed by the Land Ministry Secretary, including members of the Surveyor General’s Department, unions, and Surveyors’ Association among others was appointed on March 19 to discuss issues pertaining to the regularization of providing title deeds and modernization of preparing cadastral maps of the Survey Department and the involvement of the US company Trimble Inc., Lands and Parliament Reforms Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka said
The Committee will issue its report today, the Minister said.
He was responding to a question raised by JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake under standing orders 23/2 in Parliament yesterday.
Dissanayake said the Government Surveyors’ Department is able to regulate providence of title deeds and to modernize preparing cadastral maps to a cost below 40 million US dollars. “Why has the government not considered the proposal of the Survey Department? It is financially more profitable and has long term benefits. But Trimble Inc. has projected a cost of 154 million US dollars (Rs. 23,870 million) for the project, he said.
Dissanayake asked how Trimble Inc. had volunteered to take on this project even without being invited.
In response Karunatillake said that according to his knowledge, Trimble had tried to engage in this task even during the previous government.
“Trimble had presented their proposals to the Economic Management Committee of the Ministry in October 2015. Discussions with them had commenced at that point.”
“We have also taken into consideration the hidden costs of the project and the concerns of the unions and these issues are being discussed at present by the appointed committee. There are costs to be borne by the Survey Department, Land Commissioner General, Registrar General so on and all these costs will be considered and discussed by the committee and included in the report,” he said.
Dissanayake raised concern over the country’s sensitive data and survey details getting into the hands of a foreign company.
Karunatillake said the data is not considered secret or sensitive. They will be managed by the Survey Department. There is no room whatsoever for the country’s sensitive or secret details to get into the hands of any external or unauthorised entity. The Minister said discussions between the unions and the government are underway. He noted that the strike action launched by the unions has been called off having understood the issue and the requirements of thousands of people waiting for their deeds.
A Cabinet paper submitted by Lands and Parliament Reforms Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka in September last year (2017) noted that the US firm, Trimble Navigation Limited based out of California, had presented a 170 million dollar proposal in this regard.
The proposal had come through the Prime Minister led CCEM or Cabinet Committee on Economic Management. The Cabinet memo also noted that through discussions, the government was able to negotiate the cost to 154mn US dollars. On October 11, 2017, the whole project received the green light from the Cabinet.
Under the first phase of the project, Trimble Inc. has been tasked with surveying 2.5mn blocks of land around the country, excluding the Western Province and regularised issuing title deeds.
The second phase will see implementing the project for 2.5mn plots of land in the Western Province.
Karunatillake noted that surveying activities will under no circumstance be handed over to any foreign party since the country has qualified surveyors. The Survey Department is the country’s oldest department. He said that the department need to be upgraded to meet current standards and if required, only technological expertise will be obtained from foreign companies.
“As we pledged earlier, it is the responsibility of the government to provide lands for the landless and allocate lands for the displaced. We intend to fulfil this commitment and measures are underway in this regard. Previous government made this promise, but they have failed to reach the goal. There is an issue with our limited resources and technical expertise. Required assistance will be obtained in these areas to upgrade our institutions in order to deliver optimal results,” the Minister said.
No Confidence Motion against PM for debate on April 4
Party Leaders yesterday decided to take up the No Confidence Motion (NCM) against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for debate in Parliament on April 4.
The decision was arrived at a Party Leaders’ meeting chaired by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday morning.
JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the vote on the NCM would be taken on the same day following a full-day debate. The number of questions at the commencement of sittings has been reduced from 15 to eight to allow more time for the debate.
“The sittings will commence at 9.30am and the debate may continue until about 9.30pm. The vote will be taken thereafter,” MP Dissanayake said.
He said the JVP would vote in favour of the NCM. TNA MPs said a decision on their vote is yet to be made.
The Joint Opposition handed over the NCM containing 14 accusations against Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Wednesday with the signatures of 55 MPs. Four SLFP members in the Government ranks also signed the motion.
This is the third NCM against a Prime Minster in the Sri Lankan Parliament history. Previously, two NCMs had been submitted and taken for vote against former PMs, the late SWRD Bandaranaike in 1957 and Sirimavo Bandaranaike in 1975.
Previously, there had been 23 NCMs against Governments, 13 against Ministers, six against Speakers and Deputy Speakers, one against an Opposition Leader and another one against a Chief Justice.
Wijenayake’s inclusion in Presidential delegation to Japan questionable
JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake questioned how former Parliamentarian Piyasiri Wijenayake, who is accused of corruption as per the PRECIFAC report, became a member of the Sri Lankan delegation accompanied the President to his state visit to Japan.
He said that about 200 individuals are accused of wrongdoing as per the PRECIFAC report and Wijenayake is among them.
The MP pointed out that Wijenayake has been found guilty of corruption as the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC) tabled in Parliament last month.
“Wijeyanaya travelled to Japan with the President as a member of the official delegation and even sat in the round-table discussion with the Japanese Prime Minister. How can the court cases and legal proceedings against Wijanayake proceed under these circumstances? Does not this act make a negative influence on the Judiciary and Police?” he asked.
He requested the Government to forward his question to the Law and Order Ministry and get him a proper reply. Chief Government Whip Gayantha Karunathilake said he would refer the matter to the relevant ministry.
‘Summon SAITM Chairman before COPA’
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa requested Parliament to summon the Chairman of South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), Dr. Neville Fernando, before the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) over paid newspaper advertisements to sell the Dr. Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH), taken over by the government last year.
The advertisement is said to have been published in several newspapers a few weeks ago that the NFTH was up for sale.
Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa was participating in the debate taken up on Regulations under the National Medicines Regulatory Act.
He asked how a hospital taken over by the government could be put up for sale.
Raising a supplementary question during the Oral Question Round, Jayatissa raised the same question on March 20, but State Minister of Higher Education Mohan Lal Grero had dismissed the question claiming that Jayatissa’s supplementary question was irrelevant with his original oral question.
“Last year, it was reported that the NFTH was handed over to the government. The President and Health Minister participated in a ceremony marking the handing over of the NFTH to the government.
This was also reported by the media. It was reported that the NFTH was to be transformed and developed into the best hospital in Asia.
But quite strangely, newspaper advertisements appear for the sale of the hospital. How can this happen?” Jayatissa asked.
Jayatissa said the Government Medical Officers’ Association had requested for the agreement signed between the government and the NFTH when it was handed over to the government under Right to Information Act (RTI). However, the Health Ministry had notified the GMOA that there was no such agreement but only a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
“The government has been paying the NFTH around Rs. 300 million per month since the acquisition for its operations. Under such a situation, how can advertisements be published putting the establishment up for sale? When I raised this question, none of the government MPs cared to respond. I hope that they will be able to give a proper reply as soon as possible,” he noted.
Dr. Jayatissa suggested that in the event there is some confusion over the matter, the Chairman of SAITM, Dr. Neville Fernando, could be summoned before the Public Accounts Committee and questioned about the newspaper advertisements.
Glyphosate ban should not be relaxed: Rajitha
Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne yesterday in Parliament said he was strongly against relaxing the ban on Glyphosate.
Speaking during the debate on Regulations under the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act, the Minister pointed out that the Glyphosate ban should not be reversed and urged the other MPs to speak up against such a move.
“The call to ban the Glyphosate strongly came even during the previous government. Ven Rathana Thera was in the forefront in the campaign. But the then Government paid no heed. The ban was imposed after this government took office. Now the pressure is mounting again to lift this ban and I am strongly against such a move,” he said.
He pointed out the Health Ministry has paid high attention to improve the facilities to treat the kidney patients. “There were only 228 dialysis machines in the country when I took office and I have taken measures to increase the number to 1,000 by the end of this year,” he said.
Call to change electoral system before PC elections intensifies
The call to amend the newly introduced electoral system for the Provincial Councils (PCs) grew in Parliament yesterday as Government and Opposition members admitted that it would lead to hung PCs.
The Delimitation Committee Report on the PCs was previously scheduled to be taken up in Parliament yesterday, but the Government deferred it and facilitated a one hour adjournment debate on the topic.
All the members who spoke during the adjournment debate stressed the new mix member proportional system introduced for the PCs must undergo further changes before holding the PC elections. Several of them even proposed to revert to the old electoral system.
The adjournment motion was moved by JO MP Tharaka Balasuriya and seconded by JO MP Kanaka Herath. JO MPs Jayantha Samaraweera and Janaka Wakkumbura and UNP MP Wijepala Hettiarachchi joined the debate on it.
They pointed out that the new electoral system introduced to the LG bodies has led to instability and chaos to an extent that they cannot even appoint a Chairman. MP Tharaka Balasuriya requested to reintroduce five percent cut-off marks and bonus seats which were done away with when amending the electoral system.
Provincial Councils and Local Government State Minister Sriyani Wijewickrama replied to the motion as Minister Faiszer Musthapha was overseas.
“The 60:40 ratio of the First-Past-the-Post and Proportional Representation that applied to LG elections will change to 50:50 ratio at the PC elections. This will further lead to instability. I am also of the opinion that 50:50 ratio must change to 70:30,” she said. She proposed that Parliament must discuss and bring in necessary amendments to correct the identified shortcomings when the Delimitation Committee report is taken up.
“The report needs to be passed with two thirds majority, and if so we can proceed to hold the PC elections. If not, the Prime Minister will have to appoint an all-party representative committee to deliberate on the revisions to the report. A final decision has to be referred to the President,” she said.
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