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Provincial Chief Secretaries called to take prompt action to control dengue

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According to the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, President’s Secretary Mr. Saman Ekanayake has informed all Provincial Chief Secretaries  in writing today (09) to take all precautionary measures to prevent  the spread of dengue.

The President’s Secretary has also instructed the Armed Forces and the Police to extend their fullest cooperation to the Chief Secretaries in accordance with the requirements of the Dengue Control Program.

During the previous week, 1896 dengue cases were recorded throughout the island, with the Western Province reporting the highest number of cases (49%).

In the Western Province, 21% of dengue cases have been reported from Gampaha district, 18% from Colombo district and 7% from Kalutara district. Among them, 3.4% of dengue cases have been reported from the Colombo Municipal Council area alone.

Furthermore, a considerable number of patients have been reported from the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kandy, Galle, and Kegalle.

The districts of Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara have recorded an increase in patients compared to the previous week.

In response to a query the following information was submitted by the Chief Secretaries of all Provinces regarding the spread of dengue.

• This year, 6678 dengue cases have been recorded in the Colombo district, 7166 in the Gampaha district, and 1902 in the Kalutara district, for a total of 15,746 dengue cases reported in the Western Province.

• This year, the North Central Province has recorded 364 dengue cases, including 209 from the Anuradhapura district and 155 from the Polonnaruwa district.

• This year, 1481 dengue cases were recorded in the Kandy district, 503 in the Matale district, and 57 in the Nuwara Eliya district, for a total of 2401 dengue cases in the Central Province. There have been two dengue-related fatalities.

• There have been 556 dengue cases recorded in Uva province, including 445 in Badulla district and 111 in Monaragala district, with one fatality reported.

• In 2023, Sabaragamuwa province recorded 1878 dengue cases, while Ratnapura district reported 708 dengue cases and one fatality. In the Kegalle area, 1170 dengue cases have been documented, with no fatalities.

• This year, 3,458 dengue cases have been recorded in the North West Province, including 1069 from the Kurunegala district and 2389 from the Puttalam district. The North West Province has recorded three dengue fatalities.

• This year, 1966 dengue cases have been reported in the Southern province. There have been 918 dengue cases recorded in the Galle district, 536 in Matara, and 512 in Hambantota while three dengue fatalities have been reported in the Southern province.

• There are 269 dengue cases in the Eastern Province, including 108 cases in Trincomalee district, 106 cases in Batticaloa district, and 55 cases in Ampara district. So far, three dengue deaths have been reported in the Eastern Province.

• 1326 cases of dengue have been reported in Northern Province, 1121 cases of dengue in Jaffna district, 51 cases of dengue in Kilinochchi district, 27 cases of dengue in Mannar district, 33 cases of dengue in Mullaitivu district and 94 cases of dengue in Vavuniya district. 02 dengue deaths have been reported in the Northern Province.

The second and third types of dengue virus are currently the most commonly reported, while the third type of dengue virus is still spreading after 14 years. According to Health Department, the spread of dengue fever has also increased since immunity is low.

Provincial Chief Secretaries confirmed today that the Department of Health Services, its regional health services directorate offices, and local government agencies have already implemented a comprehensive disease prevention program under the supervision of public health inspectors.

As a result, the heads of government institutions, schools, and other institutions should be informed to check and clean places where mosquitoes can breed, inspect all houses and shop premises in urban and rural areas, make loudspeaker announcements, and visit areas where dengue cases have been detected. The provincial Chief Secretaries also stated that they are taking the necessary steps to control the spread of dengue fever, including destroying dengue-carrying mosquitoes in the surrounding areas, fumigating, conducting spot checks, and identifying mosquito larvae, as well as taking legal action against those who fail to keep the premises of houses and institutions clean.

Meanwhile, health officials are underlining that their participation is not sufficient to ensure the success of the dengue control campaign, and that public support is also required.

(President’s Media Division)

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CMC’s receivable income exceeds Rs.6,200mn in 2022!

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The receivable income of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) for the year 2022 was Rs.6,280.50 million, it was revealed during the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) meeting.

This was revealed when the COPA met in Parliament on June 06 under the chairmanship of State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna to examine the Auditor General’s reports and current performance of the Colombo Municipal Council for the years 2020/2021.

The CMC’s total receivable income of the year 2021 is Rs.5,835.6 million, Rs.5,386.4 million in 2022 and Rs.4,481.5 million in 2019. It was found that these arrears are in the form of assessment tax, rent and other taxes.

Accordingly, the officials who were present pointed out that they are making arrangements to acquire the properties where the taxes are in arrears.

They said that there are issues related to the identification of the owners of certain properties, and that there is also a shortage of CMC officials available to look into these matters.

The COPA member MPs pointed out that assessment numbers have been given for unauthorized constructions as well.

Accordingly, the committee recommended that a programme should be prepared with specific dates to recover the arrears and a full report should be submitted to the COPA by July 06, 2023.

It was also revealed that the private companies contracted to collect parking fees have continued to default on the monthly rent due to the CMC and the amount of arrears to be collected from 38 companies as at December 31, 2021, was Rs. 265 million.

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Parliament SOC recommends not to privatise SLT

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The Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security has said that it does not recommend the privatisation of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT).

This was stated in a report issued by the SOC on National Security headed by MP Sarath Weerasekera.

The report said that matters sensitive to national security can be exposed through the privatisation of SLT.

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Fonseka resigns from SOC on National Security

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Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has resigned from the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on National Security, Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapakshe announced in Parliament today (09).

He said MP Rauff Hakeem has been appointed to the vacant position instead.

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