2024-07-12
News Categories : Committee News
The Committee on Public Enterprises disclosed that a 6-acre land belonging to the Urban Development Authority located at James Peiris Mawatha, Colombo 02 was leased for 12 billion rupees for 99 years in 2019 without the approval of the Board of Directors. when drafting the lease agreement related to this land, it was disclosed that in addition to the lease conditions submitted and approved by the Board of Directors, other conditions were included that has not been approved by the Board of Directors.
However, it was disclosed at the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that disciplinary investigations are underway against the Legal Director regarding the drafting of the relevant agreements and the development of the particular land has been at a halt thus far.
Details pertaining to the said matter was disclosed when the Committee on Public Enterprises met in Parliament recently (Jul. 9) under the Chairmanship of Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardana, Member of Parliament.
Furthermore, it was also disclosed that the Authority had to bear a loss of 330 million rupees due to the leasing of 2 acres 2 roods and 21.4 perches land bordering Fort D. R. Wijewardana Mawatha owned by the Urban Development Authority without the formal approval of the Board of Directors. Accordingly, the Chair instructed the officials to send a formal report on these incidents to the Committee within two weeks.
Presenting facts, the officials of the National Audit Department pointed out that they have identified the problematic situations in the accounting system of the Urban Development Authority. The officials pointed out that the manner in which the values of the project lands owned by the Authority have been assessed is also questionable. The officials of the audit department pointed out that the ownership of the land on which the Parliament complex stand is still held by the Urban Development Authority and gave instructions to transfer ownership of the land to the Parliament. Addressing the Committee, the Chair of the Committee instructed to send a complete report containing all the details of all the investment lands owned by the Urban Development Authority to the Committee within two weeks.
The Urban Development Authority has completed 13,602 houses in 22 housing projects using 48,156 million government funds under the Urban Revitalization Program for ghetto dwellers living around Colombo. However, the officials of the audit office pointed out that 66 houses in such apartment complexes still remain vacant. Officials of the Urban Development Authority stated that measures will be taken to settle the owners of the vacant houses as soon as possible. However, the officials of the audit office pointed out that the condominium management certificate has been obtained for only one housing project out of the completed housing projects. As a result, it was disclosed that the Urban Development Authority has borne a sum of 667.6 million rupees for the maintenance of houses in 2023 and up until May 2024. Accordingly, the officials pointed out that after transferring the ownership of the houses to the relevant personnel, the responsibility of maintaining the houses will be removed from the Urban Development Authority.
Furthermore, the attention of the Committee was also drawn to the fact that not enough attention has been paid to provide facilities for parking the vehicles of the people who come to Colombo on a daily basis. The Committee pointed out that the work of the 2 parking garages proposed to be built by the authority itself was stopped in the middle of the year 2021 and so far, 230 million rupees have been spent. Accordingly, the Urban Development Officers informed the committee that the construction work has started to complete the work in such a way that these 2 car parks can be used in their current condition.
State Minister Hon. Indika Anuruddha Herath, Member of Parliament Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Hon. Madhura Withanage, Hon. Sanjeeva Edirimanna, Hon. (Major) Sudarshana Denipitiya, Hon. Upul Mahendra Rajapaksha and Hon. Premnath C. Dolawatte, government officials were present at this Committee meeting held.
2026-07-30
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development held extensive discussions on the Sri Lanka Ports Authority's (SLPA) current operational performance, the progress of its development projects, financial performance for 2026, the implementation of recommendations previously made by the Committee, and the Authority's 2024 Annual Report.The discussion took place when the Committee met in Parliament recently under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of parliament S. M. Marikkar.The Committee reviewed the financial progress and profitability recorded by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority during the past six months and discussed measures required to sustain this positive performance.Particular attention was paid to the growing regional and domestic competition faced by the Port of Colombo. The Committee sought clarifications from officials regarding the competitive pressures arising from the expansion of India's Vizhinjam Port, the investment made in that port by one of the world's leading shipping companies, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), and plans to increase the capacity of the Port of Hambantota.The Committee also held detailed discussions on the progress of development projects aimed at expanding the capacity of the Port of Colombo, the reasons for delays in implementing these projects, issues encountered in procurement and tender procedures, and the financial impact of these delays on the Government.The Committee emphasized the need to conduct a proper audit into the causes of the delays in order to identify the parties responsible. It further stressed the importance of implementing more efficient procurement and project management mechanisms to prevent similar delays in the future.The development of regional ports, including Hambantota, Galle and Kankesanthurai, strengthening related infrastructure, and enhancing local capacity by increasing the participation of domestic construction companies, consultants and technical professionals in port development projects were also discussed.At the conclusion of the meeting, the Committee underscored the need to expedite measures to ensure that Sri Lanka Ports Authority projects are completed within the stipulated timeframes, strengthen institutional accountability and transparency, and further enhance the Authority's efficiency and profitability as a state-owned enterprise.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament Ajith P. Perera, Manjula Suraweera Arachchi, Chathura Galappaththi, Ravindra Bandara, Dhanushka Ranganath, and Shantha Padma Kumara, as well as the Secretary to the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation, the Chairman and Managing Director of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, and other relevant officials.
2026-07-30
The Hon. Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply Dr. Susil Ranasinghe stated that action will be taken, based on the recommendations of a committee appointed to examine housing projects that were commenced during previous administrations but left incomplete due to various reasons.The matter was discussed at the meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Housing, Construction and Water Supply, held in Parliament under the chairmanship of the Minister.The Minister said that consideration is being given to allocating funds through the 2027 Budget to implement a new programme to complete these housing projects.He noted that a number of housing projects initiated in previous years had been abandoned midway because the loans and grant funding allocated for them had not been fully disbursed. According to the Minister, there are nearly 5,000 such incomplete housing units.Accordingly, a five-member committee, co-chaired by two former Secretaries to the Ministry, has been appointed to identify housing units that are in a condition suitable for use and to make recommendations on the future course of action regarding those projects.The Minister stated that the committee has already commenced its work by gathering information on the relevant housing projects, identifying houses that are fit for occupation, and formulating recommendations on the measures to be taken.He further said that final decisions regarding the abandoned housing projects will be made based on the recommendations submitted by the committee.The Minister also announced that assistance will be provided next year to families requiring support to complete partially constructed houses. It is expected that approximately 2,000 families will benefit from this programme.Meanwhile, Members of Parliament who attended the Committee meeting raised issues relating to the housing and water supply sectors in their respective electorates.The Ministry also agreed to convene a special meeting, with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, to discuss housing-related issues, including housing projects for low-income families in the Colombo District.
2026-07-30
The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) held an extensive discussion on the first Annual Report for 2025 of the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO), which was established under the Public Debt Management Act, No. 33 of 2024.The discussion took place when the Committee met in Parliament recently under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Harsha de Silva, with the participation of Hon. Members of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake, Ajith Agalakada, Nimal Palihena, Attorney-at-Law Chithral Fernando, Wijesiri Basnayake, M.K.M. Aslam, Thilina Samarakoon, and Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra.The Committee paid particular attention to the impact on public debt servicing arising from the increase in the public debt stock during 2025, fluctuations in interest rates, and the depreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee. The importance of coordination between the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Finance in public debt management was also discussed.It was explained that the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) was established under the Public Debt Management Act, No. 33 of 2024 to consolidate public debt management under a single institution. Its key responsibilities include managing public debt, ensuring debt sustainability, formulating the Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy, and submitting the Annual Public Debt Management Report to Parliament.The Committee also held an extensive discussion on the shortage of human resources within the PDMO and the need to provide its officers with specialized training in international financial markets and modern debt management practices. Officials also briefed the Committee on capacity-building programmes being implemented with technical assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).The Committee instructed officials to submit the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) report being prepared for the PDMO within two weeks.It was further revealed that the report is expected to serve as the basis for identifying knowledge and skills gaps among PDMO staff, developing a structured annual training plan, identifying training requirements in technical areas such as international financial market operations, debt management and risk management, and planning the budget required for future training programmes.The Committee also focused on government guarantees extended to state-owned enterprises, the progress of debt restructuring, and future measures required to further strengthen transparency and efficiency in public debt management.
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.
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