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Peliyagoda land to be sold to pay salaries of two state institutions!

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State Engineering Corporation (SEC) Chairman Rathnasiri Kalupahana said that a Cabinet paper has been prepared to sell a valuable land located in Peliyagoda belonging to the SEC for about 10 billion rupees.

He said that the land will be sold for the payment of employee salaries, arrears of salaries and arrears of EPF of the SEC and its affiliated National Equipment and Machinery Organization (NEMO).

The chairman said that it has been decided to sell a 17-acre, 2-rood, 17-perch land with a high urban value located next to the Peliyagoda Fish Market.

Mr. Kalupahana said this when inquired about the payment of mere Rs.7,000 to the NEMO employees for the month of May.

He said that due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country and the collapse of the construction sector, the salary payment to the employees of SEC and NEMO has become a serious issue due to the loss of income. He said steps have been taken to pay a part of the salary in this way from the money that received.

The chairman said that Rs.2,600 million will also be required to pay some 1,100 employees who are ready to retire voluntarily.

He said that the large-scale financial irregularities of NEMO and the recruitment of an excess of employees during the ‘Yahapalana’ Government have also led to the issues at the institution.

Speaking to the media, Mr. Kalupahana said that they have pointed out to the ministers in charge and the Ministry of Finance on several occasions that it is difficult to pay salaries to the employees of these institutions in the face of the current economic crisis.

“Not only the salaries, even the employee EPF and ETF allowances have not been paid for two years. Therefore, 1,100 employees are about to resign voluntarily. We made a request to the Treasury to compensate them. But the Treasury rejected our request and informed us that if our institution has any assets, it could be sold to pay compensation.”

“Accordingly, we prepared a Cabinet paper through Minister Prasanna Ranatunga to sell a valuable land adjacent to the Peliyagoda Fish Market and compensate the employees.”

“The current value of this land has been determined by the Government Valuation Department as between Rs.9 billion and 10 billion. There is also a two-storied building that was built during the tenure of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. However, the construction was halted during the ‘Yahapalana’ Government and it has been abandoned now. If the building had been fully constructed, the value of this land would have increased even more.”

“Although President Ranil Wickremesinghe approved the Cabinet paper, the Lands Ministry Secretary informed us that it is not possible to implement the decision. This situation has become a major issue for us. Accordingly, following the intervention of Minister Ranatunga, the institution was taken over by the Ministry of Finance through a special gazette. This will be convenient for future activities,” he said.

Mr. Kalupahana said that a discussion will be held today (19) with Acting Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe and a group of senior officials of the Finance Ministry to discuss and find solutions to these pressing issues.

Source – Aruna

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Wimal sounds alarm over e-NIC tender to Indian firm, Cites national security risks

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National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa has alleged that the ‘Punarudaya’ government has handed over the tender to develop Sri Lanka’s electronic National Identity Card (e-NIC) system to an Indian non-profit company, raising serious concerns over national data security.

Addressing a media briefing, Weerawansa claimed that the tender allows the Indian company access to highly sensitive personal data of Sri Lankan citizens, including biometric information such as fingerprints, retina scans, and residential details.

He noted that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Sri Lanka and India in 2021 during the previous government’s tenure, involving the Department of Persons Registration and an Indian firm, to develop the e-NIC system. Although it was not implemented at the time, the current government, under President Ranil Wickremesinghe, had revived the project in 2023 by allocating Rs. 3 million.

“By now, nearly 99% of the technical system has been completed locally by the Department of Persons Registration, with an investment of Rs. 5 billion,” Weerawansa said. “All necessary equipment, including fingerprint and retina scanners and personal identification systems, have already been procured.”

He accused the present administration of deliberately sidelining the completed local system and pressuring the department to transfer control to India’s National Institute for Smart Government (NISG), claiming the Sri Lankan-developed system was flawed.

Weerawansa also alleged that the tender process was conducted exclusively in India, allowing only Indian companies to apply, effectively barring any Sri Lankan firms from participation. “According to the tender, the Indian company will have access to crucial data, including the movement of people, accommodation details, and even the country’s medical requirements,” he warned.

Furthermore, he raised concerns about data privacy, noting that under the terms of the tender, the Indian company would bear only 10% responsibility in the event of a data breach.

He said the Indian Ministry of Digital Economy has already approved the tender for developing Sri Lanka’s e-NIC system. The NFF leader urged authorities to reconsider the move, citing threats to national sovereignty and personal data protection.

(dailymirror.lk)

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

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Piumi’s son granted bail

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The son of actress Piumi Hansamali has been granted bail after being produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court (No. 07) today (13).

Accordingly, he was ordered to be released on a surety bail of Rs. 500,000.

Hansamali’s son was arrested earlier today by the Welikada Police in connection with the assault on an individual in Kalapaluwawa, Rajagiriya.

He was taken into custody over the alleged assault, which was reportedly carried out along with a group, following a motor accident.

The assaulted individual has been hospitalized.

Further investigations are being conducted by the Welikada Police.

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Harley Davidsons found in Bird Park hideout

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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.

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