The Department of Government Information has clarified that no official announcement has been made declaring April 15 as a public holiday so far.

Social media messages claiming that April 15 has been declared as a public holiday are completely false and misleading, the department says.

The Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation has announced that a pilot project enabling card payments on expressways will be launched this week.

It is reported that this pilot project will initially be implemented at the Kottawa and Kadawatha interchanges.

Accordingly, commuters using these interchanges will be able to make payments via debit and credit cards, as well as through QR code scanning.

Following the pilot project, the Ministry further noted that from May onwards, it expects to roll out card payment facilities across all expressways in Sri Lanka.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed Mahara Magistrate Kanchana N. Silva yesterday (April 09) that former Minister Prasanna Ranaweera, had recently visited the Department of Immigration and Emigration to renew his passport and had also participated in political meetings at his party’s headquarters.

The passport office is located at the ‘Suhurupaya’ complex in Battaramulla, which also houses the Ministry of Public Security.

Law enforcement authorities are seeking to arrest Ranaweera over allegedly selling a plot of state-owned land in Kiribathgoda to a private party by forging documents.

Taking this into account, the court issued warrants to seize properties of Ranaweera and another suspect still at large.

Meanwhile, the Mahara Magistrate’s Court yesterday (April 09) rejected a bail application for former MP Mervyn Silva remanding 04 suspects including Silva until April 21.

During the hearing, suspects currently in remand – former Minister – Mervyn Silva, former Deputy Chairman of the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha – Dr. Jayantha Singhabahu Cabraal, Naveen Weerakoon and Silva’s then secretary – Don Sarath Kumara Edirisinghe alias “Singapore Sarath,” were not physically produced before court.

The Public Security Ministry, which oversees the DI&E, is located in the same building where passports are issued.

(Source: Aruna)