SLPA to acquire land following SC ruling

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) will acquire the land belonging to it next week which was sold under the privatisation deal of Lanka Marine Services Limited (LMSL) following the landmark ruling of the Supreme Court.

Vice Chairman, SLPA, Priyath Bandu Wickrama said that arrangements have been made to acquire the land according to the Supreme Court judgement which stated that the land be returned to the Ports Authority within a month and not to be transferred to any other party.

“The SLPA will ensure the security of the employees of LMSL. Around 113 employees will be absorbed into JCT Company Limited which is entirely owned by the SLPA”, he said. The land will be used to operate an oil bank and licence holders for bunkering from the Ministry of Petroleum could use it as a common facility.

Certain Trade Unions have levelled accusations that the land will be handed over to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). The land belongs to the SLPA and that fact has been borne out in the Supreme Court ruling.

The Supreme Court delivered the judgement on the sale of shares of LMSL which is wholly owned by the CPC to John Keells Holdings as illegal. The Court also ruled inter alia that the land sale to JKH in terms of the agreement entered into by the BOI and LMSL null and void.

The Vice Chairman said there will not be a monopoly in the bunkering sector and that a level playing field will be ensured.

Meanwhile, work on the breakwater of the Colombo South Port Expansion project is in progress and tenders to set up the first terminal will be called for soon.

“The tenders for the new Galle port are being evaluated and the final decision will be taken shortly”, Bandu Wickrama said.