BUDGET 2021 LITMUS TEST FOR GOVERNMENT RS. 70.00 PAGES 80 / SECTIONS 7 VOL. 03 – NO. 07 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020 PROGRESS DELAYS BY ON TRINCO CHANGING OIL TANKS HIGHWAY TRACKS »SEE PAGES 8 & 9 »SEE BUSINESS PAGE 1 »SEE PAGES 3 »SEE PAGE 5 GENERAL PREVENTIVE GUIDELINES For verified information on the coronavirus (Covid-19) contact any of the following authorities Suwasariya Ambulance Service 1999 Health Promotion Bureau Quarantine Unit 0112 112 705 1990 Epidemiology Unit 0112 695 112 Govt. coronavirus hotline 0113071073 PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL TASK FORCE FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES Telephone 0114354854, 0114733600 Wash hands with soap for 40-60 Wear a commercially available mask/ Maintain a minimum distance Use gloves when shopping, using Use traditional Sri Lankan greeting Always wear a mask, avoid crowded Hotline 0113456200-4 seconds, or rub hands with alcohol- cloth mask or a surgical mask at all of 1 metre from others, especially public transport, etc. and discard into at all times instead of handshaking, vehicles, maintain distance, and wash Fax 0112333066, 0114354882 based handrub for 20-30 seconds times in public places in public places a lidded bin lined with a bag hugging, and/or kissing hands before and after travelling Email [email protected] COLOMBO PORT COVID CLUSTER Essentials shortage looms BY MAHEESHA MUDUGAMUWA z Over 40 ships carrying essentials bypass Colombo The lack of adequate employees at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to handle the operations of the Colombo Port, Essential Food Commodities Importers another regional port, which would Abeygunawardena to immediately attend When asked what action would be particularly at the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT), has posed a and Traders’ Association (EFCITA) require the Government to transport to the issue within the SLPA as well as to taken to mitigate the shortage, the President G. Rajendran warned that there the containers to Sri Lanka from that look at the possibilities for expediting the Minister said that if nothing could be huge threat to the continuous supply of daily essentials to the would be a delay in supplying essential port, costing both time and money. process of unloading essentials. done immediately to solve the matter, local market, The Sunday Morning learnt. items if the unloading of containers is When contacted, Minister of Trade Dr. Gunawardana admitted that there the country would have to endure a food Over 40 vessels have already result, essential food importers fear delayed further. Dr. Bandula Gunawardana told The was an issue due to the current Covid- shortage, as there is no other option bypassed the Colombo Port without their containers would not arrive before The essential items aboard those Sunday Morning that he has requested 19 situation, as there was a shortage during a pandemic like this. unloading containers at JCT. As a their existing stocks are exhausted. 40 vessels are set to be unloaded at Minister of Ports and Shipping Rohitha of employees at the Colombo Port. Contd. on page 2 NOROCHCHOLAI EXTENSION The worst of times…CAPITAL HEIGHTS PUCSL delaying CAPITALRS. 34 MILLION HEIGHTS UPWARDSRS. 34 MILLION approval: CEB UPWARDS The Cabinet-approved Commission of Sri Lanka's CAPITAL HEIGHTS Norochcholai coal power (PUCSL) delay in approving RS. 34 MILLION extension project is languishing the project. VISIT OUR UPWARDSWEBSITE due to the Public Utilities Contd. on page 3 CAPITALVISIT HEIGHTS+94 OUR 763112233 COLOMBO UNI LAND RS.35SHOW APARTMENT MILLIONWEBSITE UPWARDSRS. 34 MILLION Lecturers BUDGET 2021 READY FOR INSPECTION UPWARDS write to PM; PROJECT NEARING+94 763112233 COMPLETION VISIT OUR Public, SHOW APARTMENT WEBSITE VISIT OUR UDA unfazed +94 763112233WEBSITE As the Urban Development media READY FOR INSPECTION SHOW APARTMENT www.capitalheights.lk Authority (UDA) remains firm on SHOW APARTMENT +94 763112233 taking over the Colombo University galleries READY FORREADY INSPECTION FOR INSPECTION land on Muttiah Road, university PROJECT NEARING COMPLETION lecturers submitted a letter to the PROJECT NEARINGPROJECT NEARING COMPLETION COMPLETION Premier in a last-ditch effort to save it. shut The isolation of Kaiser Street in Colombo has left its street vendors without a source of income Contd. on page 3 BY SKANDHA GUNASEKARA PHOTO LALITH PERERA EXPORTING E-WASTE The Parliament gallery is to Earning revenue be closed to the public and media REOPENING SCHOOLS RESTRUCTURING JUDICIARY on Tuesday (17) when Prime from scrap Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa After consulting Capacity building z 24 tonnes shipped to Japan is to present the Government's Japan is to pay Sri Lanka for Budget proposals for 2021, as health authorities and technology key the gold and platinum it salvages well as during the upcoming The Ministry of Education stated that the The Justice Ministry is in the process from the Printed Circuit Boards debate on the proposals, The final decision on reopening schools for the of restructuring the judicial system given (PCBs) exported. Sunday Morning learnt. third academic term would be decided after that an estimated 5,000 cases are pending Contd. on page 2 Contd. on page 3 consulting local health authorities. before the superior courts, The Sunday Contd. on page 3 Morning learnt. OTHER STATE FORESTS Contd. on page 3 Focus on nearly 1.5 m acres REPATRIATING SRI LANKANS z Development work will need EIAs: Environmentalists 300 persons BY SARAH HANNAN land that will come under threat, Secretary to the Ministry of Wildlife especially since several circulars that and Forest Conservation, which repealed While the Government has released protected other state forests to a certain several circulars including the 05/2001 per week nearly 1.5 million acres of other extent have been repealed. circular that was providing protection to Around 300 Sri Lankans are to be repatriated state forests to be repurposed for The Ministerial Circular numbered unrecognised forest covers, became a hot on a weekly basis commencing this week, development work, environmentalists MWFC/1/2020 titled “Management topic of discourse since July this year. The Sunday Morning learnt. have expressed concerns over forest of other state forests” issued by the Contd. on page 2 Contd. on page 2 2 the sunday morning NEWS Sunday, November 15, 2020 Contd. from page 1 of the SLPA are situated in these areas.” reduction in SLPA employees reporting to work, “The existing forest cover of Sri Lanka, that is 3%. Deforestation in my village has taken place Essentials... He told The Sunday Morning that in spite of mainly due to the quarantine curfew imposed 29.2% of the country, does not include the land over at least 50 acres of forest, which I believe Meanwhile, the SLPA said it expects a the issues, the SLPA was running the port 24/7. in the Gampaha District. extent that is under ‘other state forest’ lands. was done through the permits that were obtained significant loss in revenue due to the delays and “We need a large number of employees to “Even though employees can come to work These other state forests will be allowed to be by the divisional/district secretariats, referring drop in efficiency, which is yet to be calculated operate the JCT. The port’s activity revolved using their passes, they are not coming because repurposed for development work through the to land development.” by the authority. around the JCT and we had 30 Covid-19-positive there is no proper Covid-19 management authority of the divisional and district secretariats, Wijesinghe added that, given the Sustainable It is learnt that many ships that were supposed cases plus 200 first contacts. They have been programme at the port premises,” he stressed. whilst taking into consideration that no impact Development Goals (SDGs) and local to unload at JCT had bypassed and gone to other sent for quarantine. This is not a management Employees do not want to put their lives at is made to biodiversity and wildlife, and there is environmental protection policies and regulations nearest destinations instead, after reports of over issue. We have followed all required health risk. He said that while most of the gantry crane, no severe environmental damage. We have no as well as the election manifesto, this policy 30 employees testing positive for Covid-19 guidelines,” the Chairman reiterated, adding transfer crane, and other crane operators were connection to the alleged international agreement decision is totally unacceptable. emerged. The SLPA itself has requested some that though there were people available, the residing in the Gampaha District, since they or compact.” Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) vessels to divert their destinations instead of authority needed specially trained people to were not reporting to work, the unloading of According to Harischandra, the Ministerial Chairman and Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath coming to Colombo directly, as there is a serious operate gantry cranes. shipments had been delayed. Circular No. MWFC/1/2020 that was issued Dabare and Executive Director Hemantha delay due to the lack of port employees. “We hope the operations will be returned to According to him, the delay in unloading on 4 November, repealed circular No. 05/98, Withanage, in a statement issued on Friday Nevertheless, SLPA Chairman Gen. Daya normal by next week, as 60% of employees shipments would result in a huge loss to the dated 1 July 1998, limiting the size of the forest (13), noted: “It’s very sad to see this Cabinet Ratnayake told The Sunday Morning that the have been in operation for the past two, three SLPA. lands managed by the divisional secretaries; and of Ministers direct the government officers to Colombo Port would not be closed under any days,” he added. “At present, the management is discussing the subsequent circulars 05/2001 dated 10 August deregulate forests which are public common circumstances and that the port had already “We requested some of the vessels to go.