'Cleaning Schools a Wasteful Exercise'
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www.themorning.lk LATE CITY VOL 01 | NO 02 | Rs. 30.00 { TUESDAY } TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2021 ‘FACTUAL INCONSISTENCIES AS WELL AS CONCEPTUAL DISGRACED MISINTERPRETATIONS’ SL DECIMATED IN GALLE SUNSHINE COMPLETES ‘IDEATION IS AKBAR PHARMACEUTICALS A STRANGE ACQUISITION PROCESS’ »SEE PAGE 4 »SEE PAGE 8 »SEE PAGE 11 »SEE PAGE 16 No room for beggars Govt. spends z Sri Lanka’s only centre for beggars at capacity Rs. 5.4 m on BY DINITHA RATHNAYAKE the Police found them on the roads. worth millions of rupees. Begging can The Ridiyagama Detention Centre for Beggars, the only detention Beggars can be arrested by the Police be considered to be an ultimate form centre in the country that accommodates beggars, is at full capacity at under the Vagrants Ordinance and be of helplessness. But I have seen fit prisoners daily 600 inmates with no room left to house anymore, The Morning learnt. produced before courts. and healthy persons sit on footpaths “Apart from Ridiyagama, we don’t and standing near road signals, just to z 20,000 prisoners cost Rs. 1.97 b annually Department of Social Services Director under the Social Services Department, have a place to detain them and the beg. This is dependency. They are the Chandana Ranaweera Arachchi told The houses beggars who get arrested, current law regarding this subject also individuals of the working class who BY DINITHA RATHNAYAKE to Rs. 5.4 million. Rs. 98,550 is Morning that the Police and prisons whether they had resorted to begging needs to change since it has not been have become fatalistic. By giving them The Government incurs a spent per year on each inmate officials have also inquired regarding due to circumstances, or by choice of updated,” Ranaweera Arachchi added. money, we also help them become cost of approximately Rs. 5.4 while the amount for the year the issue. vocation. Beggars presently constitute Further, according to Ranaweera addicted. If we stop this, we can at least million on a daily basis for the for 20,000 inmates would then “The camp can only facilitate about a risk category for both contracting and Arachchi, there are no statistics to reduce beggars by 10%,” he claimed. maintenance of 20,000 prison be over Rs 1.97 billion. 600 persons. However, now there are transmitting Covid-19 owing to their ascertain as to how many beggars According to Southern Province inmates, according to the Speaking to The Morning, the around 600 detainees at the camp, frequent movements. are there in the country. However, Commissioner of Social Welfare, statistics of the Department of Commissioner General of Prisons thus making the available resources When queried about the beggars who conservative figures indicate that 85,000- Probation, and Child Care Mahesh Prisons, which adds up to Rs. Thushara Upuldeniya said that insufficient to cater to the increased have tested positive for Covid-19 and 100,000 beggars are found in Sri Lanka. Rajitha Karunanayake, who spoke to 1.97 billion per year. the total number of inmates in the number of people. Most of the detainees about random testing being conducted Usually, some elderly beggars are also The Morning, most of the detainees An examination of these prison system fluctuates and that have been directed there following a among beggars, Ranaweera Arachchi sent to elders’ homes, but due to Covid- at the Ridiyagama Detention Centre statistics reveals that the daily therefore it is difficult to specify court ruling,” Ranaweera Arachchi told said that this responsibility lies with 19 testing and the pandemic risk, this are those in different age groups, cost per inmate is Rs. 270 and that the exact number of prisoners in The Morning when questioned regarding the health officials. Furthermore, he process is not underway at the moment. including the elderly, the frail, and therefore, for 20,000 inmates, the the country. the situation concerning beggars. noted that some beggars were sent to “The concept of begging has now the disabled. amount for the same would come Contd. on page 2 The Ridiyagama Centre, which is the hospital to do Covid-19 tests after emerged as a commercial business Contd. on page 2 ROCKING THE STANDS Strategy changes if we detect community spread: Health Min. BY PAMODI WARAVITA He was responding to recent and quarantining procedures that are The strategy that has been adopted allegations of community spread carried out would be unnecessary. by authorities to prevent and overcome following two new records on a “We have two different definitions: the Covid-19 pandemic over the past district and national level on 24 and Finding cases in the community is one few months would have to be changed 21 January, respectively. The highest thing, community spread is something if community spread is detected within number of Covid-19 cases within else. If the majority of cases that we get the country, according to the Ministry a 24-hour period in a district was in the community cannot be traced to a of Health. reported from Colombo on 24 January. source, then that would be community Deputy Director General of Public Prior to this the Health Promotion spread,” explained Dr. Herath. Health Services Dr. Hemantha Herath Bureau reported 887 cases on 21 Dr. Herath further elaborated that told The Morning yesterday (25) January – the highest number detected Sri Lanka is still reporting a relatively that the disease control strategy for within 24 hours in the country. low number of cases when compared community spread is completely According to Dr. Herath, if with other countries with respect to different to the one that is currently community spread is detected in the their general populations. being followed. country, the current contact tracing Contd. on page 2 Four liquor licences COVID-19 CASES TOTAL CASES exempted from levy ACTIVE CASES BY PAMODI WARAVITA (Supply Chain Regulation and 58,813 The fee for four types of Information Technology) R.M. DEATHS RECOVERED liquor licences will not be Rathnayake. levied for this year (2021) as a Speaking to The Morning 8,193 283 50,337 relief measure afforded to the yesterday (25), Rathnayake said SOURCE: HEALTH PROMOTION BUREAU The very first print edition of The Morning being distributed outside World Trade Centre in Fort yesterday (25) tourism sector, according to the that the fee of the licences, THE ABOVE STATISTICS ARE CONFIRMED UP UNTIL 9.20 P.M. ON 25 JANUARY 2020 Excise Deputy Commissioner Contd. on page 2 Female police officers Declare Sinharaja ‘Cleaning schools a elephant corridor overlooked for promotions ‘sensitive’ area: BY HEMANTHA LIYANAPATHIRANA Chief Inspectors of police. them, they should also be wasteful exercise’ Female Police officers These female police assigned a division or two Forest officers have levelled claims of officers are requesting that so that they could show their BY DINITHA RATHNAYAKE after they have been shut down wearing a mask, refraining BY PAMODI WARAVITA discrimination against they be made Officers-In- prowess. The cleaning of school for months. from unnecessary travelling, Faced with dealings concerning the ongoing top officers of the police Charge (OICs) of at least They also claim that premises before reopening post “Cleaning and disinfecting staying away from large development activities at the elephant corridor department of inequitable five or six police stations, although interviews have Covid-19 related lockdowns should be done in public groups of people, and the like, between the Handapan Ella and Dellawwa treatment when it came to out of the 494 Police been called for OIC posts, is unnecessary and a waste spaces to prevent the spread explained Dr. Wijewickrama. Ella connecting the Sinharaja Rainforest, the matter of promotions. Stations island-wide. there has been no progress of money as all schools of Covid-19. However, I do “We see that coronavirus Ratnapura District Forest Conservation officers Speaking to The Morning Claiming that there are in this regard. Having to were closed for a long time, not understand the theory of clusters are already increasing have requested the Central Environmental yesterday (25), they have various allegations levelled seek relief for the justice according to the Consultant doing this in schools which in Sri Lanka, day by day. This Authority (CEA) to declare the area as an complained that although against certain OICs in due them, in connection Physician at the Infectious were closed for months. Who would create unavoidable environmentally sensitive area. they pass out after having particular Police Stations, with the promotions that Diseases Hospital (IDH) Dr. advised disinfecting places circumstances. We need to “This elephant corridor runs through lands followed the same training they state that it would should be afforded to them, Ananda Wijewickrama. which were unoccupied?” promote simple prevention which are privately owned so they don’t course and don the same therefore be opportune through courts, they note, is Dr. Wijewickrama told The questioned Dr. Wijewickrama. measures to the public, need to obtain an Environmental Impact uniform as their male to appoint female police a sad situation. At present, Morning that the disinfection People have already forgotten otherwise this situation would Assessment (EIA) to start development. counterparts, they were officers to such positions a group of female Police programmes conducted to follow the preventive worsen,” he added. His advice This is worrying since the elephant corridor discriminated against, and subsequently review officers have gone to courts in schools in the Western measures like washing hands to the public in this regard is runs through them and that is why we are unlike the latter. the progress. in this regard while another Province were pointless as regularly, maintaining at least to be aware of the common requesting that this area be declared as being At present, over 12,000 Further, they informed group is expecting to seek the virus survives in open air one metre of social distance, symptoms like fever, dry environmentally sensitive,” Ratnapura District female officers are The Morning that since legal recourse concerning for only a small time period.