2025-02-28
It was disclosed during the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that an employee of the Colombo Municipal Council had misused a land and official residence within the Borella Cemetery, owned by the council, to establish and operate a funeral palour since 1994.
These revelations were made during the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) Committee meeting held in Parliament, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Aravinda Senarath, on the February 25th and 27th recently. During the meetings, officials from the Colombo Municipal Council were summoned to review the Auditor General’s reports for the years 2022 and 2023, as well as the council’s current performance.
The Auditor General stated that the Colombo Municipal Council had not taken any action regarding the unauthorized business being operated within an illegal structure in the Borella Cemetery at the first Committee meeting held. Although COPE had previously recommended that a report be submitted detailing the measures taken before July 6, 2023, to reclaim the premises back to the Colombo Municipal Council, and a report was indeed submitted, no progress had been made in regaining possession of the building.
During the discussion, officials presented information regarding the unauthorized business, confirming that it was being run by an employee of the Colombo Municipal Council who had misused the official residence and land within the Borella Cemetery. It was also disclosed that this employee had previously been suspended from service but was reinstated. At this instance, the Committee Chair inquired whether the funeral palour had been registered as a legitimate business within the city of Colombo. The officials responded that while the funeral palour had not obtained the necessary permits, it had been registered as a company under the Registrar of Companies. The Chair further questioned how such a business could operate without an environmental report, to which the officials stated that such an operation would not be legally permissible. Consequently, COPE instructed the immediate shutdown of the illegal funeral palour.
The then-Commissioner of the Colombo Municipal Council, who appeared before the Committee, presented information regarding the unauthorized operation of the funeral palour. It was disclosed that the business had been in operation since 1994. She further disclosed that despite the employee's attempts to fraudulently obtain ownership of the land and business, these efforts were unsuccessful. Additionally, she informed the Committee that due to her continued efforts to address this issue, she had even faced death threats.
The former Municipal Commissioner revealed that this illegal operation was being carried out publicly and that the misuse of the building and land in question had caused a loss of 41 million rupees to the Colombo Municipal Council from between 1994 and 2020. Furthermore, as it is illegal for a government employee to engage in business, pointing out that the individual in question had fraudulently changed the name of the business from time to time to continue its operations. Additionally, it was revealed] that the Colombo Municipal Council employee managing this funeral palour had been accused of soliciting a bribe of 600,000 rupees for a burial during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as engaging in fraudulent issuance of receipts at the Borella Public Cemetery.
Members of the Committee pointed out that such a fraudulent operation could not be carried out by a single individual and that many other officials were involved in the process. As a result, the Committee proposed that action be taken against the individual under the Public Property Act. Consequently, the Committee Chair instructed the Chief Secretary of the Western Province to conduct an investigation into this business operation, which involved the misuse of state property, and to submit a report to the Committee within two weeks. In recognition of her revelations regarding this illegally operated funeral palour, the Committee commended the former Municipal Commissioner, and the Chair directed officials to ensure that the commendation was placed in her personal file.
Furthermore, the Committee also focused on the revenue from parking fees collected by the Colombo Municipal Council. It was disclosed that, as of 2024, the outstanding amount due from parking contractors was 580 million rupees. Accordingly, it was disclosed to the Committee that in 2025, parking contractors with outstanding dues would not be selected for tenders. Officials further stated that efforts to recover the outstanding amounts had already commenced. Additionally, the Committee was informed that, according to an audit report, land allocated for parking spaces for Colombo Municipal Council members had been sold to third parties. Officials clarified that traditionally, council members were allocated parking spaces near their offices. Consequently, the Committee Chair instructed officials to explore the possibility of reclaiming the misallocated lands from those who had obtained them.
The Committee also engaged in an extensive discussion regarding the smart street lighting project implemented by the Colombo Municipal Council. Initially promoted as a cost-free project for the Council, it was later revealed by the former Commissioner that the project had resulted in a loss of 2.45 billion rupees. She further disclosed that she had objected to certain conditions set by the company managing the project, which led to threats from an official of the company, including statements that posed a threat to national security. She informed the Committee that, during the relevant period, the control of street lights in Colombo’s high-security zone had been under the company’s management, raising serious national security concerns. Given the severity of the matter, the Committee Chair instructed that an immediate complaint be filed with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Additionally, the Auditor General highlighted that the Colombo Municipal Council had over 5 billion rupees in outstanding property tax revenue. Despite annual increases in municipal revenue, the lack of a proper mechanism for collecting overdue amounts had resulted in the accumulation of arrears over the years. Officials from the Municipal Council acknowledged that these arrears had been accumulating for a long period and emphasized the need to properly identify properties with outstanding taxes. They proposed conducting a survey to obtain clear information on the properties in arrears, the amount due, and the responsible parties.
Committee members underscored the importance of preparing a structured report with a clear timeline for recovering these outstanding amounts. Accordingly, the committee instructed that a plan be implemented to collect outstanding dues from identified properties in the Colombo Fort area within a month. Additionally, the Chairman directed officials to prepare and submit a comprehensive plan within a week for identifying and collecting arrears in other areas of Colombo.
The committee also reviewed the progress of the process to regularize municipal land holdings. Officials stated that, with the support of the Survey Department and external stakeholders, all municipal lands would be legally regularized by the end of the year.
The committee meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Nalin Hewage, Anton Jayakody, Sugath Thilakaratne, and Hon. Members of Parliament Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, Sagarika Athauda, Attorney at Law, Oshani Umanga, Susantha Kumara Nawarathna, Dr. Janaka Senarathna, Dinindu Saman, and Lal Premanath, along with a number of public officials.
2026-11-14
The financial crisis faced by SriLankan Airlines, frequent flight delays, debt burden and delays in procurement processes for acquiring new aircraft were discussed extensively at the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development.These matters were discussed when the Committee met recently in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. S. M. Marikkar, Member of Parliament.During the meeting, concerns were raised over the inadequacy of the airline’s existing fleet of 23 aircraft, which are approximately 12 years old. Technical issues and operational delays arising from the ageing fleet were also discussed. It was pointed out that a technical fault or any other disruption involving a single aircraft could affect the entire flight network due to the limited availability of alternative aircraft.The Committee also focused on the failure of conventional procurement processes previously undertaken to acquire aircraft and the lengthy delays associated with them. It was stated that a special set of procurement guidelines had been prepared for the purchase of aircraft and related equipment, and arrangements were being made to gazette these guidelines. It was further revealed that a dedicated procurement unit had been established at the Ministry level to directly oversee the procurement process.Under the new procurement guidelines, plans are underway to expand the airline’s fleet. It is expected that one new narrow-body aircraft and two wide-body aircraft will be added to the fleet by next June. Officials also stated that increasing the fleet to at least 29 aircraft by 2029 is one of the key targets of the five-year plan.It was explained that several measures had been taken through the General Treasury to improve the financial position of SriLankan Airlines, including the takeover of outstanding bank loans and bond-related debt. Attention was also drawn to reducing aircraft leasing costs, managing fuel expenditure and implementing commercial strategies to increase the airline’s revenue.The impact of the prevailing crisis in the Middle East, rising fuel prices and competition from international airlines on SriLankan Airlines’ operations and revenue was also discussed.Furthermore, it was stated that the committee appointed by the Government to restructure SriLankan Airlines was considering several options, including attracting new investors, establishing a public-private partnership, or retaining the airline under State ownership while bringing its operations to a level where it could cover its costs.Accordingly, the Committee instructed the relevant authorities to submit a comprehensive report to Parliament and the Ministry before November 30, outlining the measures required to bring SriLankan Airlines to a cost-recovery level within the next two to three years.Hon. Members of Parliament Ajith P. Perera, Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, Ravindra Bandara, Manjula Suweera Arachchi, Chathura Galappaththi, Dhanushka Ranganath, Jagath Vithana, Shantha Padma Kumara Subasinghe and Attorney-at-Law Geetha Herath also attended the Committee meeting.
2026-11-14
The Committee on Ways and Means held an extensive discussion on Sri Lanka’s tariff policies and the current status of trade agreements. The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Hon. Vijesiri Basnayake, Member of Parliament at Parliament recently.Mr. Somasena Mahadiulwewa, Director General (Acting) of the Department of Commerce of Sri Lanka, provided a detailed explanation to the Committee on these matters. The discussion focused on the current status of Sri Lanka’s bilateral and multilateral trade agreements and measures to move them forward.The Committee stressed the importance of conducting feasibility studies on trade agreements that are currently under negotiation and taking the necessary steps to ensure that these discussions continue.Hon. Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe and Eranga Weeraratne, and Hon. Members of Parliament Ashoka Sapumal Ranwala, Thilina Samarakoon, Champika Hettiarachchi and Chathura Galappaththi, among others, also participated in the Committee meeting.
2026-11-13
The Prevention of Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill received the approval of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development and International Relations.The Bill was considered and approved when the Sectoral Oversight Committee met recently in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament (Attorney-at-Law) Lakmali Hemachandra. The Bill has been presented to give effect to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178, adopted on 24 September 2014, which addresses the prevention and suppression of the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.The Bill was presented to Parliament for its First Reading on 20 October by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.Officials explained to the Committee that legal action could be instituted in Sri Lanka under this Act in cases where an offence has been committed within or outside Sri Lanka by a Sri Lankan citizen or a citizen of another country, provided that the act in question also constitutes an offence under the law of the relevant country.Officials further informed the Committee that engaging in terrorist activities, planning or preparing such activities, participating in them, as well as providing or receiving terrorist training, have been defined as offences under the proposed Act.The officials also emphasized that these legal provisions had not been introduced on an ethnic basis or with the intention of targeting Sri Lankans residing overseas.Following an extensive discussion, the Committee approved the Bill. However, Hon. Member of Parliament Sivagnanam Shritharan, a member of the Committee, expressed his opposition to the Bill.Hon. Members of Parliament Suranga Rathnayake, Thilina Samarakoon, Wijesiri Basnayake and Sivagnanam Shritharan, among others, attended the Committee meeting. Government officials representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, the Ministry of Defence, the Attorney General’s Department and the Legal Draftsman’s Department were also present.
2026-11-13
Salary anomalies arising when teachers are appointed to the Sri Lanka Principals’ Service were discussed at length at a subcommittee appointed by the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital.These matters were discussed when the subcommittee met recently under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Sunil Rajapaksa.Representatives of trade unions of the Sri Lanka Principals’ Service and officials representing the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development participated in the meeting.Trade union representatives pointed out that one of the main reasons for these salary anomalies was the fact that the transition from the Teachers’ Service to the Principals’ Service was treated as a “new appointment” rather than a promotion.They further noted that the situation was exacerbated by the significant difference in salary increments when teachers in Grade I of the Teachers’ Service are appointed to Grade III of the Principals’ Service.They also pointed out that although an adjustment allowance had been granted to compensate for the salary difference arising from the appointment to the Principals’ Service, a further salary disparity emerges over time. This is because officers do not receive the higher salary increments, they would have been entitled to had they remained in the Teachers’ Service.It was further emphasized that this situation has discouraged senior and experienced teachers serving in Grades I and II-I of the Teachers’ Service from sitting for the Principals’ Service examination and joining the Principals’ Service.The Chairman of the Subcommittee stated that, having considered the matters presented to the Committee, steps would be taken to submit the relevant recommendations to the Salaries and Pensions Commission for Public Officers.In addition, the Subcommittee decided to hold discussions with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and the Director General of Establishments to address other issues faced by officers serving in the Principals’ Service.Hon. Members of Parliament Abubakar Athambawa, Sugath Wasantha de Silva and Chanaka Madugoda also attended the meeting.
Handbook of Parliament
The System of Elections in Sri Lanka
How Parliament Works
Business of Parliament
Copyright © The Parliament of Sri Lanka.
All Rights Reserved.
Design & Developed by TekGeeks
