News

Foods stalls at the Colombo Port City to be removed by March 2027

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2023

editor

The Members representing the Colombo Port City Economic Commission stated that the foods stalls at the Colombo Port City falls under leisure activities and will be removed by March 2027.

This was stated in response to the questioning of the Committee on Public Finance as to the legality of the establishment of such food stalls whilst the Colombo Port City was designed mainly targeting foreign investments.

The discussion pertaining to the said was held at the Committee on Public Finance held yesterday (12) in Parliament, Chaired by Dr. Harsha de Silva. The Committee took into consideration the Regulations under the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act, No. 11 of 2021 scheduled to be present in Parliament on Tuesday, 19th of September.

The Committee further inquired the Commission members on what legal basis have they decided to permit the establishment of such food stalls and on what grounds will they be removed by 2027. The Committee further questioned whether the Attorney General has been consulted on this regard.

The Committee instructed the Colombo Port City Economic Commission and the Attorney General’s Department to submit information on this regard to the Committee as soon as possible.

The Committee further inquired regarding the revenue received by the Government by the ongoing activities at the port city. The Committee instructed the officials to submit all details with regard to this for a better understanding prior to granting approval for the Regulations.

Furthermore, given that the Port City is being constructed as a separate land mass under a Smart City concept, the Committee questioned the Colombo Port City Economic Commission members present whether smart city concepts such as waste water management, renewable energy, proper sewerage mechanisms have been included. The Committee was of the view that issues experienced in other areas of the country pertaining to improper sewerage and waste water management should be avoided when developing the port city.

It was also disclosed that government institutions such as the Road Development Authority, Urban Development Authority, water board has spent a considerable amount of money to facilitate the construction and development of the Port City. Since all of this are tax payer money, the Committee questioned the Commission what gains do the tax paying citizens of the country would have from this.

Accordingly, the Committee on Public Finance instructed the Members of the Commission to submit a breakdown of the government expenses for the Port City and infrastructure and also to provide details of the streams of revenue.

State Minister – Dr. Seetha Arambepola, MPs Chandima Weerakkodi, Nimal Lanza, Dr. Major Pradeep Undugoda, Premnath C. Dolawatte, Madhura Withanage, U.K Sumith Udukumbura, were present at this Committee meeting held.

News

Harley Davidsons found in Bird Park hideout

Published

6 hours ago

July 13, 2025

editor

Some twenty illegally imported high-end, high-capacity motorcycles—including eight Harley-Davidsons—were recovered during a raid conducted by the Central Anti-Corruption Task Force at a warehouse inside Bird Park, Hambantota.

Police said investigations are continuing to determine who owned the bikes and why they were hidden in the warehouse.

News

Navy nabs 4 suspects with smuggled spices, medicine & cosmetics

Published

11 hours ago

July 13, 2025

editor

During a search operation conducted in the beach vicinity of Devils Point, Kilinochchi on 11 July 25, the Navy took hold of a stock of spices, medicine and cosmetic products which have been made ready for distribution.

The operation also led to the apprehension of 04 suspects and 02 cabs.

The operation was mounted by SLNS Buwaneka in the North Central Naval Command in Loggannawadi, Devils Point.

After searching 02 suspicious cabs in the locality, naval personnel recovered 300kg of cardamom, 260kg of turmeric powder, 273kg of dried ginger as well as medicine and cosmetic products loaded in the vehicles.

And also, 04 suspects in connection to the incident were also taken into naval custody.

The suspects detained by the Navy in this operation have been identified as residents of Erakkandi, Kalmunaikudi, Trincomalee and Puttalam, aged between 39 and 49.

The suspects together with the vehicles and seized items were handed over to the Customs Preventive Office in Katunayake for onward legal action.

News

China, Sri Lanka agree to speed up FTA negotiations

Published

12 hours ago

July 13, 2025

editor

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday called upon his Sri Lankan counterpart Vijitha Herath to expedite the finalisation of the China-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Minister Yi was speaking during a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the two sides vowed to deepen their strategic cooperative partnership and enhance practical cooperation.

A China-Sri Lanka FTA, which has been under discussion for some time, is likely to boost two-way trade and also address the imbalance in the trade figures.

Minister Yi also called on both sides to deepen high-quality Belt and Road (BRI) cooperation, jointly implement the two flagship projects – the Colombo Port City and the Hambantota Port, and create new growth points for cooperation in fields such as Green Energy, Digital Economy, modern agriculture and maritime (Blue) economy.

Talking specifically on cooperation in the maritime domain, Minister Yi said such cooperation is mutually beneficial, adding that it does not target any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party.

The Chinese Foreign Minister said the so-called “Indo-Pacific Strategy” pursued by certain parties provokes confrontation and coerces all parties to take sides, which is not in line with the trend of the times and will not be supported by regional countries.

Wang said China is ready to work with Sri Lanka to push the development of the strategic cooperative partnership featuring mutual assistance and ever-lasting friendship between the two countries.

Minister Herath said Sri Lanka attaches great importance to its relations with China, and firmly adheres to the “One China” principle.

Minister Herath said that bilateral cooperation has brought tangible benefits to Sri Lankans and promoted the development and connectivity of the region.

Sri Lanka will enhance practical cooperation with China in areas including trade and investment, infrastructure and ocean, and further deepen the two countries’ strategic cooperative partnership in a number of sectors.

Source – sundayobserver.lk / Xinhua