The train services on the Eastern Railway Line were disrupted due to the derailment of a train carrying Prima wheat flour from China bay harbour in Trincomalee to Seeduwa early this morning at the Maho Railway Station.
Accordingly, the night mail train running from Colombo Fort to Trincomalee, Pulathisi Intercity Express running from Batticaloa to Colombo Fort and another train running from Maho to Batticaloa were delayed.
The night mail train which was supposed to leave early in the morning ran late at around 5.15 am.
The railway track was not damaged due to the derailment but two sets of wheels of the guard compartment and one wheel of one container compartment carrying what flour were derailed.
Trains running on the Eastern Railway Line change its course at the Maho Junction. Due to the length of the Prima wheat flour train, four compartments were removed to clear the track, a railways spokesman said.
The National Transport Commission (NTC) has said that an investigation into the recent incident where a student fell from the footboard of a ‘Sisu Sariya’ school bus, has revealed that the accident had resulted from the careless and negligent behaviour of both the driver and the conductor.
Issuing a statement, the NTC noted that, based on the preliminary findings, the Road Passenger Transport Authority of the North Western Province has taken steps to temporarily suspend the services of the driver and conductor involved.
Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation – K.D. Lal Kantha has announced that the government has decided to import 300,000 MT of maize.
Speaking to the media after attending a District Development Committee meeting at the Kandy District Secretariat yesterday (July 03), the Minister explained that this decision was taken to prevent traders from artificially inflating maize prices.
He stated that certain large and medium-scale businesses dealing with animal feed have been hoarding maize, buying it from farmers at fair prices and reselling it at much higher rates.
According to the Minister, these traders were trying to push maize prices up to Rs.190-200 per kilogram, which would have driven up the cost of eggs to Rs.200 each and increased meat prices significantly.
The Minister emphasized that while businesses are entitled to make a profit, the government will not allow unfair price manipulation. He also noted that, in the past, even ministers profited from animal products, but those days have ended and racketeers will not be allowed to control the market.
To prevent excessive price drops that could hurt farmers, the Food Security Committee has proposed imposing a tax on imported maize, he said.
