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| Sunday, 19 September 2004 |
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Cluster bus companies back in the news Weekly Newscan by Ajarath The Transport Ministry said that 143 buses from various cluster bus
companies of the Ceylon Transport Board have disappeared after being sent
for repairs to the Werahera and Keppetipola workshops. Slow motion The Postal Department has taken 18 months to deliver a letter addressed to the adjoining village which is within the radius of about five miles. The letter sent in January 2003 reached the addressee at Mitigate-Talwatte in July 2004. Delay in justice Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva said the Court of Appeal was now hearing appeals that have been fixed as far back as 1995, reflecting a nine year delay. The reason for this was, as the law stands now, all appeals in civil cases are heard and concluded in the Court of Appeal in Colombo. The Chief Justice revealed this at the opening ceremony of the Courts Complex in Trincomalee. End to poaching Indian Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash said that India and Sri Lanka could find a solution to end poaching by fishermen in each other's territorial waters through the mutual goodwill of both countries. The Indian Naval Chief was in Sri Lanka on a four-day visit during which he met the President and other high officials. Development war President Chandrika Kumaratunga said her UPFA government would embark on a different war from October 15. Speaking in Mahiyangana, the President said she would mobilise the people for a war of a different nature - a war for development. SB admits The five-judge Supreme Court Bench ordered former Samurdhi Minister and UNP Parliamentarian S. B. Dissanayake to furnish a cash bail of Rs. 250,000 and a bond of Rs. 250,000 with two sureties. The Bench ordered bail for Dissanayake after he admitted to the statements he made at the Vap Magul ceremony at Habaraduwa last November. Protest Hundreds of Bhikkus staged a demonstration opposite the US Embassy in Colombo, demanding the immediate ban on the film 'Hollywood Buddha'. They handed over a memorandum to the Embassy that said the screening of the film would bring disharmony among religions and may even lead to clashes between the followers of various faiths. New vision Information and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera announced a new vision for the State media, which is a rich mix of tradition and modern trends, while maintaining high standards that will be beneficial to the public. This new vision would guide the country on the correct path in the face of the open economy and globalisation, he added. National plan for children President Kumaratunga launching the four-year National Action Plan for Children, from 2004 to 2008, said this programme would cost Rs. 14 billion. She said that the government was able to contribute only 20 per cent of the cost at the moment. In 2002, the President attended the UN Special Sessions on Children along with personalities such as Nelson Mandela. Speaking further at the ceremony, the President said the children had no agenda and is of little ambition. "We hope the relevant ministries, Provincial Councils and other donor agencies will make arrangements to bring children to act with us." Last week President Kumaratunga announced a program for the education and shelter of street children. Support peace The newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff Vice-Admiral Daya Sandagiri said that war is not a solution and urged the Armed Forces to support the peace process. He said the government has done much to create peace in the country and added that the prime obligation of the three Armed Forces and the Police is to extend the maximum support for the continued success of the peace process. Troubled waters Cabinet spokesman and Minister Mangala Samaraweera said a Ministerial Committee would study the implications of the proposed Sethusamudram Project that India hopes to launch to link its eastern and western coasts. He said that the project would involve digging a 44.9 nautical mile channel between India and Sri Lanka. This project would have adverse effects on international traffic now using Colombo and also the envisaged ports in Galle and Hambantota. Wrong finger The Registrar of Fingerprints apologised to Court for issuing a wrong report on a convict who was serving a sentence up to 2046. He was found guilty of fraud in 17 cases. However, the Fingerprints Department had issued a clean report to the Courts. According to the Registrar, the Department received nearly 400,000 prints from Courts throughout the country. Forty thousand fingerprints detected at crime scenes in the past ten years had not been examined. The Department needs computers to clear the backlog. |
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Machinery and spare
parts too have disappeared. These items were worth around Rs. 750 million.
According to CTB's Acting Chairman Nihal Perera, the Attorney General's
Department was taking steps to file action against the administration of
these workshops.
