By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Attorney General has recommended disciplinary action against Deputy Solicitor General, Azard Navavi, and State Counsel Malik Azeez, who were entrusted with the file on National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) and its leader Zahran Hashim, for lapses in handling the case, the PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks was informed yesterday.
A three-member committee had also concluded its inquiry, and charge sheets have been sent to the Public Service Commission (PSC,) Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena yesterday told the PCoI. The report had been sent on 27 November 2020 through the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice, but there had been no response so far, he said.
Highways Minister Johnston Fernando yesterday ordered that the heads of the consultative firms responsible for the construction of the Kadawatha-Mirigama stretch of the Central Expressway be summoned for an urgent meeting.
The Minister gave this order at a meeting at the ministry over a protracted delay in the construction of the Kadawatha-Mirigama section of the Central Expressway, ministry sources said.
Two top officials attached to the project were also transferred with immediate effect yesterday.
The Minister said that he had severely warned the officials twice but they had failed to sort out the inordinate delay.
When the Minister called for a meeting of the heads of companies which provided consultancy for the phase between Kadawatha and Mirigama, he was informed that they were abroad, and the minister ordered the representatives of those companies to summon them within the next 30 days.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Attorney General Dappula de Livera, PC, on Monday (14), alleged that the situation in overcrowded coronavirus-affected prisons wouldn’t have been so bad if specific instructions issued by him to IGP C.D. Wickremaratne had been properly implemented.
The AG said so at the opening of a 12-storyed building complex for the Attorney General’s Department at Hulftsdorp. Justice Minister Ali Sabry, PC and Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, PC were present on the occasion. Eleven remand prisoners were killed and over 100 wounded in recent Mahara Prison riot triggered by those protesting against the failure on the part of authorities to adopt sufficient precautionary measures. Referring to the law enforcement authorities’ response to the health emergency, President’s Counsel Livera said that he advised the police in that regard umpteenth number of times since April, 2020. According to him, the instructions were meant to reduce the severe congestion in prisons.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is exploring the possibility of rapidly adding power from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and natural gas to the national grid.
Many countries are turning to renewable energy sources for power generation. As per the “Saubhagyaye Dekma” Policy Statement, by 2030 the government expects to meet 70% of the total electricity demand from renewable energy sources.
During a discussion on power generation held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (15) President Rajapaksa said that the generation of renewable energy should be carried out expeditiously in a systematic manner with short-term as well as long-term objectives.
The government aims to meet the increasing demand for energy from renewable energy sources when implementing development projects in the future. Under its first phase the wind power project installed in the island of Mannar has added 30 megawatts to the national grid.
…operations suspended in March due to corona fears
The Sri Lanka Navy has resumed operations against Indian trawlers poaching in the Sri Lankan waters to protect the country’s fishing resources. The Navy headquarters yesterday said that it and the Coast Guard had apprehended 36 poaching Indian fishers along with five fishing trawlers and accessories
Recently, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Douglas Devananda sought Indian High Commissioner Gopal Bagley’s intervention to curb poaching.
The Navy headquarters issued the following statement: “Although operations to prevent poaching by foreign fishermen in Sri Lankan waters have been restricted since March this year due to COVID-19 concerns, the Navy resumed its raids on poaching, considering the impact of this wanton act on the livelihood of local fishing community and to protect the fishing resource of the country from the surge in the arrival of foreign fishing trawlers in S