News

CMC to call in arborists to advice on pruning roadside trees

Published

1 year ago

October 7, 2023

editor

Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Commissioner Badhrani Jayawardena said a special discussion, comprising of experts on trees in order to take expedited action regarding dangerous trees which are older than 30 to 35 years, in the Colombo city.

President’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake has instructed her on this. Accordingly, a special discussion will be held on Monday October 9 and the Municipal Commissioner said a committee comprising of experts from the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, the Forest Conservator General as well as specialists on types of trees will join.

With the unfortunate accident that took place yesterday (6) on the Duplication Road close to the Liberty Roundabout in Kollupitiya, killing five persons, the Municipal Commissioner said that

attention has been focused on removing such dangerous trees from the Colombo city and that this discussion is one step towards that purpose. She also said that attention is being focused on getting assistant from the Air Force to cut and remove such trees. She further said that, yesterday (6) she held a discussion with the secretary to the ministry of Wildlife, Forest Resources Conservation and that she requested that a report be submitted regarding trees that are in danger of collapsing.

An accident took place yesterday (6) with an ancient banyan (nuga) tree on the Duplication Road, near the Liberty Roundabout, Kollupitiya falling on to a bus belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board and the impact of the tree had made the bus split in two.

Five persons from different areas of country who were in the bus, died on the spot. The Municipal Commissioner who said that two months ago, branches of this particular tree had been cut and removed and removing such dangerous trees and controlling them is carried out by the Colombo Municipality, also mentioned that a unit which works 24 hours of the day has been set up.

“When such dangerous trees are being removed, we get together with the fire brigade and do it. Even yesterday, after the accident all teams got together and worked as one. We cut branches of these trees which are on the road reserve and ‘balance’ them. If an accident happens while removing unprotected trees, we take immediate measures. When a tree nearly fell on to the road on Kannangara Mawatha, near the Vihara Maha Devi Park at about 4 pm day on Thursday(5) we cut down that tree and prevented an accident. We will take steps to inspect trees on Monday,” Jayawardena said.

(dailynews.lk)

News

5 Acting Ministers appointed

Published

8 hours ago

January 13, 2025

editor

With President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s departure from the country for a State Visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, five acting ministers have been appointed to oversee key ministries under the president’s purview.

Acting ministers have been appointed for three ministries under the President’s purview: the Ministry of Digital Economy, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development. Additionally, acting ministers have been assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism, as well as the Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation.

The acting ministers are as follows :

Acting Minister of Digital Economy – Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne
Acting Minister of Defence – Deputy Minister of Defence Aruna Jayasekera
Acting Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development -Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando
Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism – Deputy Minister of Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra
Acting Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation – Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Dr. Prasanna Kumara Gunasena

(President’s Media Division)

News

Tsunami warning after huge earthquake in Japan

Published

8 hours ago

January 13, 2025

editor

Japan was hit by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake on Monday causing two small tsunamis to form.

The quake was at a depth of 23 miles and mainly hit the southwestern Kyushu region, said the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre.

The quake struck at 9.19 pm local time, according to the agency.

Tsunami warnings were issued shortly after for Miyazaki Prefecture, where the temblor was centred, in the southwestern island of Kyushu.

A warning was also issued for the nearby Kochi Prefecture.

Masamasa Sato, chief of the crisis management department of Takanabe Town Hall in Miyazaki Prefecture, said: “The shaking was so strong that it was difficult to stand for about 20 to 30 seconds.”

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of possible tsunami waves of up to one metre (three feet) and urged the public to stay away from coastal waters.

“Tsunami can strike repeatedly. Please do not enter the sea or go near coastal areas,” the JMA said on X.

Two small tsunamis of around 20 centimetres were detected at two ports in the region, the weather agency said.

Local media reported no immediate injuries, with live television feeds from the region on public broadcaster NHK showing no visible damage as well as calm seas, vessels operating and traffic running normally.

(heraldsun.com.au)

News

Teachers – Principals to be among highest paid professionals

Published

8 hours ago

January 13, 2025

editor

The government is taking significant steps to address salary disparities in the education sector and elevate five key education services, including teachers and principals, to be among the 10 highest-paid professions in the country, Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe said.
Speaking at an event held in Maharagama, the Deputy Minister outlined the government’s commitment to improving remuneration and addressing long-standing salary issues in the education sector.

“We will present the first budget next month, and there will be an increase in the salaries of public servants in that budget. Do not have any doubts about that,” said Jayasinghe, emphasizing the government’s efforts to prioritize public sector wage reforms.

He also acknowledged the persistent concerns about salary disparities in the education sector. “Many people are asking about the two-thirds salary disparity for teachers. We are already conducting the necessary preliminary discussions to resolve this issue,” he added.

Highlighting the government’s plans for educators, the Deputy Minister noted that five services—teachers, principals, educational administrators, teacher educators, and teacher advisors—are being considered for inclusion among the top 10 salary scales.

“Discussions are currently underway to not only address the salary scales but also to improve the quality of these services. Our goal is to enhance the standards of education through appropriate salary adjustments,” he stated.

(adaderana.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)