Illegal and hazardous constructions COVID-19 SLIDING LOCAL CASES TOTAL CASES TOWARDS 3,345 A GRAVE DEATHS RECOVERED DISASTER ACTIVE CASES 174 13 3,158 RS. 70.00 PAGES 88 / SECTIONS 7 VOL. 02 – NO. 53 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 CASES AROUND THE WORLD RECOVERED TOTAL CASES 22,092,196 DORMANT 20A STIRS UP A DEATHS OIL PIPELINE HORNET’S NEST IN AND 30,407,457 951,473 RESURFACES OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT THE ABOVE STATISTICS ARE CONFIRMED UP UNTIL 7.20 P.M. ON 25 SEPTEMBER 2020 »SEE BUSINESS PAGE 1 »SEE PAGES 8 & 9 »SEE PAGE 5 LRT project still alive z Transport Ministry yet z Cabinet decision z Current cost lower to act on letter required to terminate than initial estimate BY MAHEESHA MUDUGAMUWA this is a costly project and we have to think about the country’s The Colombo Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project is yet economic situation after the to be terminated despite the request made by impact of Covid. Therefore, the President’s Secretary Dr. P.B Jayasundara as per the President’s Secretary requested directives of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last me to think about this project week, The Sunday Morning learnt. and take proper decisions. The decision of course cannot be When contacted by The Sunday project had been approved by the made at the ministry level. It Morning, Ministry of Transport Cabinet, it should be terminated should be done by the Cabinet Secretary Monti Ranatunga by the Cabinet, he said. of Ministers because this project stressed that the directives to “There is an evaluation started based on the cabinet terminate the project should committee, and the committee’s decision.” come from the Cabinet; as the recommendation is that maybe Contd. on page 2 FERTILISER SUBSIDY GARBAGE CONTAINERS Don’t chase jackals: DWC Rs. 20 b BY SKANDHA GUNASEKARA to avoid jackals and getting bitten. ‘Relocating’ trees Back to There is a practice to chase away The Department of Wildlife these creatures. This only results annually Conservation (DWC) is conducting in humans getting bitten. We are The Government is to incur a UK soon awareness programmes to warn the conducting programmes to educate cost of Rs. 20 billion annually to for development Sri Lanka is preparing to public not to chase jackals, after people that they should not be fully subsidise fertiliser supplies send the containers of waste two rabies deaths were reported chasing jackals and that not all for paddy farmers, according BY SARAH HANNAN for development projects being Felling prized matured trees exported to Sri Lanka by a in Millaniya. jackals have rabies,” DWC Director to the Ministry of Agriculture. considered first. for development work would UK company, back to its “Awareness programmes were – Health Dr. Tharaka Prasad said. National Fertiliser Secretariat The Ministry of Environment Speaking to The Sunday create an adverse impact to the country of origin in the UK carried out in these areas on how Contd. on page 2 Director Mahesh Gammanpila is to look at employing high- Morning, Minister of ecosystem of an area. Therefore, from October onwards, once told The Sunday Morning that tech environment conservation Environment Mahinda we are looking at aCAPITAL technique the legal process is completed, HEIGHTS the subsidy begins from the methods, with a method Amaraweera said: “We are that is widely used where the the Central Environmental Yala Season. to relocate trees from their looking at relocating trees to tree can be relocated.” Authority (CEA) revealed. CAPITALRS. 34 MILLION HEIGHTS Contd. on page 2 original position to make way pave the way for development. Contd. on page 2 Contd. on page 2 UPWARDSRS. 34 MILLION OIL REFINERY Remembering their roots UPWARDS Low-quality Errant estates CAPITAL HEIGHTS boiler costs could be RS. 34 MILLION VISIT OUR taken over UPWARDSWEBSITE millions Labour Minister Nimal Siripala Concerns have been raised de Silva warned the plantation CAPITALVISIT HEIGHTS+94 OUR 763112233 over the importation of a companies that fail to provide RS.35SHOW APARTMENT MILLIONWEBSITE UPWARDSRS. 34 MILLION low-quality boiler from Italy the Rs. 1,000 minimum wage for READY FOR INSPECTION UPWARDS by the previous Government, estate sector workers, claiming which spent Rs. 440 million to they continue to incur losses, could PROJECT NEARING+94 763112233 COMPLETION VISIT OUR replace one of four boilers of the SHOW beAPARTMENT taken over by the Government WEBSITE 51-year-old Sapugaskanda Oil and made profitable. VISIT OUR +94 763112233WEBSITE Refinery owned by the Ceylon READY FOR INSPECTIONContd. on page 2 SHOW APARTMENT www.capitalheights.lk Petroleum Corporation (CPC), +94 763112233 BANGLADESH TOUR SHOW APARTMENT The Sunday Morning learnt. READY FORREADY INSPECTION FOR INSPECTION Contd. on page 2 PROJECT NEARING COMPLETION SLC to follow PROJECT NEARINGPROJECT NEARING COMPLETION COMPLETION OIL SPILL IMPACT Monthly all guidelines Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) reviews for reiterated that it would follow Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Leader Maithripala Sirisena is pictured having a conversation with party all Covid-19 guidelines for the 3 years General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara at “Bandaranaike Prathyawalokanaya”, the commemoration of the Bangladesh cricket team which Assessing the marine 61st death anniversary of SLFP Founder S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike held on 25 September is scheduled to arrive in Colombo environmental impact of the PHOTO PRADEEP DAMBARAGE in late October. MT New Diamond’s bunker Contd. on page 2 oil spill might take at least three MECHANISM TO REDUCE COST OF LIVING years, with monthly assessments required throughout that period, claimed the National Aquatic Resources Research and Vegetable middlemen cut Development Agency (NARA) The Government is considering consultation with the Agriculture vegetables valued at Rs. 700 at Aluthgamage further explained. assisting the Marine Environment purchasing vegetables directly Ministry and the Trade Ministry, Rs. 350 by purchasing directly Following the successful Protection Authority (MEPA) from farmers through the following a successful trial. from the farmers. We managed to programme carried out by the with the site research. Agriculture Ministry to sell to the Agriculture Minister achieve this target by cutting out Agriculture Ministry, the Cost The Sunday Morning spoke to public through Sathosa outlets Mahindananda Aluthgamage all middlemen,” the Minister said. of Living Committee decided NARA Head of Environmental that are under the purview of told The Sunday Morning that his The Agriculture Ministry to expand the programme by Studies Division K.W.S. the Trade Ministry, as a measure Ministry had already successfully has, in the first stage of the formulating a joint mechanism Weerasekara to inquire about to reduce the skyrocketing carried out a programme through programme, sold up to 10,000 with the Agriculture and Trade the time they would take to vegetable prices. which vegetables were purchased such vegetable bags. Ministries. assess the full extent of the The decision has been taken directly from the farmers and “The wastage recorded by us The two Ministries are now expected pollution. by the Cabinet-appointed sold directly to the public. when transporting vegetables in the process of finalising the Contd. on page 2 Cost of Living Committee in “We managed to sell a bag of from the farmer was 2%,” mechanism, Aluthgamage said. 2 the sunday morning NEWS Sunday, September 27, 2020 Contd. from page 1 is not high,” he noted. “The British company is ready to take back the determine how much of the jackal population CPC appointed a committee. But up until 2016, LRT project... Meanwhile, Ministry of Transport Secretary garbage containers. But the shipping restrictions is being infected in the relevant regions. nothing was done,” he stressed. “Therefore, the Cabinet should take the Ranatunga revealed that the Ministry hadn’t that were imposed due to Covid-19 caused a The boiler was imported from Italy from the decision to terminate, discontinue, or postpone yet analysed the cost of the project, though Dr. hindrance to it.” same company which made the equipment of the the operation,” he said. Jayasundara said it was costly. “Moreover, the legal paperwork that is to SLC to... refinery. After only about a year or two, a leak Asked whether he informed the LRT Project be completed to recommence the reshipping SLC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ashley from one pipeline was noticed by the engineers. Office about the termination of the operation, The project and roadblocks process too was delayed.” de Silva told The Sunday Morning that the SLC During this time, the older boiler had also been Ranatunga confirmed he hadn’t yet informed The 15.7 km LRT system with 16 stations The CEA official noted that the institution will is still waiting for a response from the Task Force repaired by the engineers, he explained. them. “I do want to discuss with the Project from Colombo Fort to Malabe via Battaramulla be looking into completing the legal paperwork of the National Operation Centre for Prevention CPC officials, however, alleged that even Office, and I’m awaiting the Cabinet’s decision,” involved an elevated railway track, elevated this week and is hopeful that the reshipment of of Covid-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO). though the boiler should be working for at least he said. stations, a train depot, the procurement of the garbage containers will commence from The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) 10 years, a guarantee period had not been given In a letter written to Ranatunga and copied LRT trains, and the installation of electrical, October onwards. has expressed their disagreement over local by the Italian company. to the Secretaries of the Treasury and Ministry communication, and signal systems. The project The UK’s Environment Agency in July agreed Covid-19 protocols on Bangladesh’s World Test However, the CPC has already instructed the of Urban Development and Housing, Director is expected to reduce travel time from Colombo to accept the controversial waste containers Championship series in Sri Lanka.