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| Sunday, 16 May 2004 |
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Amendments to make Govt. Ordinances more effective by Shanika Sriyananda Amendments will be introduced soon to the century-old Local Government Ordinances by the Ministry of Provincial Councils and Local Government to make the regulations more effective and to suit the present day needs of the country. Senior Additional Secretary to the Ministry, D.P. Hettiarachchi told the 'Sunday Observer' that there were ten such ordinances, most of which were hundred years old; they were not adequate to deal with the offenders. Moreover, the fines stipulated were minimal and in certain instances, the fine is still Rs. 20. The maximum fine which could be imposed under these ordinances is Rs. 50", he said. Amendments will be introduced to the Municipal Council Ordinance of 1947, Urban Council Ordinance of 1937, Burial Grounds Ordinance of 1946, Rabies Ordinance of 1894, Dogs Registration Ordinance, Nuisance Ordinance of 1939, Entertainment Tax Ordinance of 1946 and Public Performances Ordinance of 1912. According to Hettiarachchi, several committees have been appointed to make recommendations and the Ministry was now in the process of preparing the amendments in the three languages - Sinhala, Tamil and English. "The amended ordinances would be submitted to the Cabinet before the end of July", he said, adding that Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon had instructed officials to expedite the procedures. "Since the Nuisance Ordinance is very outdated, it is difficult to prevent an act that is injurious to public health. The maximum fine is Rs. 50", he said. However, a 'spot fine system' would be introduced under the amended Nuisance Ordinance. "This system would first affect those who neglect to keep the environment clean. We are now discussing with the Ministry of Health to fine residents who have mosquito breeding places in their compounds", he added. Under the amended ordinance, a heavy fine will be imposed by the local body of the area according to their by-laws, he said. |
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