2022-07-07
News Categories : Committee News
COPE chaired by Hon. (Prof) Charitha Herath recommended that an investigation be conducted through the Auditor General's Department on the cancellation of the Term Tender, which had been approved by the Cabinet to buy gas from Siam Gas at USD 96 per metric ton and opting to buy 100,000 MT of gas at a cost of USD 129 per metric ton from an Oman company.
This recommendation was given recently (05) when Litro Gas Lanka Ltd, Litro Gas Terminal Lanka (Private) Limited and Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation were summoned before COPE to implement the orders given by the previous Committee on Public Enterprises and to discuss the current performance.
It was disclosed that since the Term tender for the purchase of gas ended last February, tenders were invited for 2,80,000 MT of gas and three gas suppliers have submitted bids accordingly. Siam gas Company has submitted the lowest price as USD 96 per metric ton and accordingly the Cabinet has approved to award the tender.
The Litro officials disclosed that gas could not be obtained from Siam gas Company due to the economic crisis as banks in Sri Lanka were unable to submit the Standby Letter of Credit (SBLC) to Litro as per the conditions announced during the bidding process.
They further said that despite discussions with the concerned company in this regard, the company expressed its unwillingness to supply gas without a Standby Letter of Credit (SBLC) as per the conditions presented during the tender invitation.
Due to this delay, as a temporary solution, Siam gas Company itself has negotiated to obtain 15,000 MT of gas as emergency purchases, which is the gross amount of gas required for two weeks, but it has been informed that they can supply only 6600 MT and thus was unsuccessful.
Litro officials also said that the Oman company, which had sent prices at USD 129 per metric ton for the Term Tender, agreed to provide 100,000 MT of gas for 4 months at 25,000 MT per month.
Accordingly, after notifying the above facts to the cabinet, it was revealed that the term tender given to Siam gas Company was canceled and the cabinet approval was received for the term tender to purchase 100,000 MT of gas from the Omani company. A USD 70 million loan from the World Bank and 20 million of Litro Gas Lanka Ltd amounting to USD 90 million in total was used for this procurement, Mr. Muditha Peiris, Chairman of Litro Lanka said.
The COPE chair instructed the Auditor General's Department to conduct a formal investigation and report whether the loan amount of USD 70 million from the World Bank was effectively used, and added that although the need for gas is a necessary emergency, buying from the Omani company at a higher price instead of the lowest bidder, Siam, may set a bad precedent in the future.
The committee also focused on the inability to purchase gas with the amount of USD 160 million allocated for the purchase of gas under the Indian Credit Line. The Litro chairman said that according to the conditions of the Indian government, it is a problem to buy gas that is not produced in the country. It was also revealed that several rounds of discussions have been held regarding this. The COPE Chairman recommended to the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance to look into this immediately and report within two weeks.
Attention was also drawn to the fact that the number of currently appointed members of Litro's board of directors is only 4. It was revealed that according to the legal status, there should be 5 members. Furthermore, since the Ministry of Finance appoints the members of the Board of Directors, COPE pointed out the need to appoint the Board of Directors to consist of representatives of the parent company. The COPE Chairman recommended the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance to take necessary measures on this regard.
It was also discussed about holding both the positions of the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer by the same person. Even if the position of the company's chairman changes, the presence of a permanent chief executive officer position is essential for the good survival of the company, so the committee emphasized the importance of working towards it as soon as possible. Furthermore, Litro Chairman said that the Board of Directors has already taken a decision to deal with this situation as soon as this crisis is resolved. The committee recommended to take necessary steps and submit a report on this regard.
Litro Company's ability to obtain financial support from Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, the parent company of the Litro Company was also looked into. The Chairman of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, Mr. Vijitha Herath, said that the company was able to purchase gas in the past due to the deposit of nearly 5 billion rupees in a state bank.
Representing the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mr.Saman Fernando. Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation and former Litro Chairman Mr. Vijitha Herath, Litro Chairman Mr. Muditha Peiris were present at this meeting whilst Mr. Thesara Jayawardane, former chairman of Litro Company, joined online.
Parliamentarians Hon. Patali Champika Ranawaka, Hon. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Hon. Anura Dissanayaka, Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva, Hon. (Dr.) Sarath Weerasekera, Hon. Jagath Pushpakumara, Hon. Indika Anuruddha, Hon. S.M Marikkar, Hon. Jayantha Samaraweera, Hon. (Dr.) Nalaka Godahewa, Hon. Premnath C. Dolawatte and Hon. Madhura Withanage were present at the meeting held.
2026-07-22
The draft Terms of Reference (ToR) prepared for the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative was approved recently at a meeting held in Parliament with the participation of Parliament's development partner organizations.The approval was granted during a meeting of the Caucus chaired by its Co-Chair, Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakkiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.The draft Terms of Reference was developed based on proposals and recommendations received during a workshop organized by the Caucus in recent months to gather stakeholder input for its preparation.The meeting also agreed that, following the approval of the Terms of Reference, the document would be submitted to Hon. President, and that a discussion would be held with the President on behalf of the Caucus.
2026-07-22
The Sub-Committee appointed by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on the methodology, implementation timeline and coordination arrangements relating to the research study proposed for the restructuring of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE), when it met recently, at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Ruwan Mapalagama.During the meeting, discussions were held on the establishment of the proposed Institutional Operations Committee and a six-member Coordination Team to facilitate the implementation of the research. Attention was also focused on the proposed Mixed-Methods Design, the preparation of questionnaires and the data collection process.The Sub-Committee further reviewed the progress of obtaining public views on the restructuring of SLIATE. Matters relating to obtaining the contribution of the Human Resources and Management Information Systems (MIS) divisions for the research, the preparation of the research implementation timeline through a Gantt Chart, and the stakeholder consultations to be held with representatives of the industry sector were also considered.The programme to obtain the views of stakeholders, including Chambers of Commerce, industry associations and professional bodies, as well as the conduct of field visits to selected SLIATE institutions across the country, was also discussed.The Sub-Committee decided to proceed with the future activities of the research in accordance with the agreed timeline and to present the relevant progress reports at its next meeting.Hon. Member of Parliament Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Prageeth Madhuranga also attended the meeting.
2026-07-22
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) focused its attention on referring the matters revealed in relation to land misuse, financial irregularities and administrative deficiencies at the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for a formal investigation.The matter was taken up when the Committee met recently at Parliament under the Chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera to continue its examination of the Auditor General's Reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and to consider the remaining matters relating to the current performance of the National Housing Development Authority.During the meeting, lengthy discussions were held regarding the leasing of valuable NHDA-owned lands located at Maligawatta, Elvitigala Mawatha and Rangirigama, Dambulla to external parties at low nominal values without Cabinet approval, the use of such lands for purposes contrary to the conditions stipulated in the relevant agreements, and the failure to adequately safeguard the Authority's assets.The Committee observed that many of these transactions had been carried out in contravention of the objectives of the National Housing Development Authority and the relevant legal provisions. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that comprehensive reports on the identified irregularities be referred to the Criminal Investigation Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption for the institution of appropriate legal action.The Committee also instructed the officials to expedite internal audit investigations into these matters, identify the officers responsible and initiate disciplinary action against them. Furthermore, the Committee recommended that the necessary measures be taken to strengthen asset management and internal control systems in order to prevent the recurrence of such irregularities in the future.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Attorney-at-Law Dayasiri Jayasekara, S.M. Marikkar, Attorney-at-Law Sujeewa Senasinghe, Mujibur Rahman, Chaminda Wijesiri, Dr. S. Sri Bavanandarajah, Sunil Rajapaksha, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiarachchi, Asitha Niroshana Egodavithana, Ruwan Mapalagama, Jagath Manuwarna, Dinesh Hemantha, M.K.M. Aslam and Sudath Balagalla.
2026-07-21
Discussions focus on strengthening disability-inclusive legislation and policy implementationThe Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities held discussions with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and representatives of several United Nations agencies at Parliament with a view to strengthening cooperation in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and advancing disability-inclusive legislation and policies in Sri Lanka.The meeting was held in Parliament under the Chairmanship of the Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva recently.Addressing the meeting, the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Marc-André Franche, commended the Parliament for establishing the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities and emphasized the importance of treating disability inclusion as a national priority across all sectors. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to provide technical expertise and institutional support in areas including legislative reforms, accessibility, inclusive education, employment, community-based rehabilitation and strengthening national coordination.The UNICEF Representative, Ms. Begoña Arellano, highlighted the need to safeguard the rights of children with disabilities, particularly in relation to health, nutrition and education, while emphasizing the important oversight role of Parliament in ensuring the effective implementation of disability-inclusive policies.Representatives of UNFPA, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers also briefed the Caucus on ongoing initiatives relating to youth, education, disability data collection, employment opportunities and social inclusion.During the meeting, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, informed the Caucus that the proposed Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill and the Sign Language Bill are currently with the Attorney General's Department and are expected to be presented to Parliament on September 2026. He further stated that measures are underway to improve accessibility in public institutions, expand employment opportunities, introduce educational grants for university students with disabilities and establish ten day-care centres for children with disabilities within this year.The Caucus also discussed future initiatives, including the preparation of disability-inclusive budget proposals by Government Ministries, the finalisation of a national disability database and the conduct of a sensitisation programme for journalists to promote a rights-based approach to disability related reporting.The meeting concluded with the Chair, Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva, reiterating the Caucus's core theme, "An unhindered social life," and calling for continued, unified collaboration to make an inclusive society a reality.The meeting was attended by the Deputy Co-Chairs of the Caucus, Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, and Hon. (Dr.) Pathmanathan Sathiyalingam, the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage, Members of Parliament and representatives of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, ILO and UN Volunteers.
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