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Healthy Schools Project to curb dengue menace

By Faraza Farook
The Public Health Department has launched a campaign to curb the spread of dengue which is reaching epidemic proportions in Colombo. Already 72 cases have been reported of which 35 are below the age of 15, official sources said. Cases have been reported from Kirillapone, Wellawatte and Kotahena. Some of the victims had returned to Colombo from Jaffna recently.

\The Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said the Public Health Department (PHD) would also be inspecting schools to ensure that there are no dengue breeding grounds.

With a view to encouraging school authorities to maintain a healthy environment a 'Healthy Schools Project' will be launched this month, he said. This is a six-month programme which will be funded by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The project which will focus on the physical, aesthetic and psycho-social aspects that contribute to the well-being of students held its first awareness workshop yesterday.

Although several schools have been invited to participate the response has been very disappointing, a PHD official said.

The project will focus on improving government, private, international and other schools in Colombo. Initially 50 schools will be targeted and later expanded to other schools. There are 150 schools within the Colombo municipal limits with more than 200,000 students.

Schools that have conformed to the standards set by the Public Health Department will be awarded the title of 'Healthy School'. Schools that have been certified as a healthy school will be encouraged to carry out specific projects in order to compete for the 'Healthiest School' title thereafter.

Challenge trophies and other prizes will also be awarded. Dr. Kariyawasam said that emphasis will be placed on improving the psycho-social environment in view of the recent reports of ragging and violence reported in schools lately.

Bus deal: Minister insists on full payment

By Nilika Kasturisinghe
Attempts by IBIS to issue a conditional letter of credit as payment for the 39 percent shares in six cluster bus companies, have failed with Transport Minister Tilak Marapana insisting on complete payment.

IBIS has stipulated the condition that to cash the LC the governnment should first give a guarantee enabling the bus company to obtain funds to the value of 30 percent of the shares to be utilised for running costs.

However, Minister Marapana maintained that a government guarantee could not be granted until payment had been made for the 39 percent shares purchased by IBIS.

"They don't want to pay the cash down until they get the guarantee. My position is we must not give the guarantee until the shares are paid for," the Minister said, adding that PERC is trying to work out a mechanism to satisfy both these requirements.

Furthermore, to give a guarantee, the government shareholding should be more than 50 percent and the Attorney General had stated that the Government could not give a guarantee until the shares are increased, Minister Marapana said.

The government will possess 50 percent shares in these state-owned cluster bus companies, while 39 percent will belong to the buyers and 11 percent to the employees of the SLCTB.

Meanwhile, the sale of shares of the remaining seven bus companies is yet to take place.

The two companies expressing interest in purchasing shares are Jeyalakshmi and ADI Holdings.

Despite the transaction not taking place as scheduled, a spokesperson for Jeyalakshmi Transport Services said the company was still interested in obtaining these shares.

Indian aid for ailing railway

By Nilika Kasturisinghe
While local and international contractors have already demonstrated interest in the Sri Lankan Railways, the government is looking to India for assistance in developing the crisis-ridden railway system.

Chairman of the Railway Management Council, P.H. Manatunga, appointed by Transport Minister Tilak Marapana this week, told The Sunday Times he had visited India with the minister to study the railway system there.

The minister is interested in setting up a credit line in order to facilitate government to government assistance, he said. Although the crisis in the railways was overcome last week by the promise of funds, the Railway Department is yet to receive anything more than a promise and a 12 man council.

Responding to The Sunday Times inquiries General Manager Railways, Priyal de Silva said 'we do not know how much the allocation is'. When the allocation is received track rehabilitation, locomotive and carriage overhauls and signalling rehabilitation will take place, he added. After a protest held in front of the Transport Ministry premises on Tuesday, railway employees returned to work on an assurance given by Minister Marapana that funds were being released by the Treasury to rehabilitate the railways.

Trade unions, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the minister's solution to the massive problem in the department.

The money allocated by the Treasury to prevent the railways from grinding to a halt will only be sufficient to cover re-sleepering and re-railing, said Treasurer of the Railway Supervisory Managers Union, H.L.R. Fonseka.

JVP Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa in Parliament this week said that although this government gave tax concessions to big time fraudsters and concessions to casino kings, it is clearly not allocating the funds necessary to protect the railways which is the transport mode of the common man.

Munda here with govt. blessings

The Commerce and Consumer Affairs Ministry is reportedly carrying out an advertising campaign spending thousands of rupees to herald the coming of Munda Gas, imported by a private company not connected with the government.

This week several national newspapers carried full page colour advertisements regarding the arrival of Munda Gas in the market. The advertisement liberally used green, the colour of the party in government and carried the name of the Ministry.

However, Additional Secretary Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, R. Maligaspe told The Sunday Times that he had not seen the advertisement and was unaware of an allocation being made to pay for these advertisements. He also denied that Munda Gas had any connection with the Ministry.

Anti-crime bill under fire

By Chandani Kirinde
A tough anti-crime bill proposed by the government is running into criticism that some provisions will violate fundamental rights.

Justice Minister W.J.M. Lokubandara presented to Parliament the Prevention of Organised Crime Bill that lays down tough penalty for crimes ranging from killing and kidnappings to currency rackets and child abuse.

The Bill has already drawn fire from opposition political parties who will challenge it in courts shortly. They say the provisions of the Bill might be used to violate the basic civil rights of the people.

Those convicted under the Act could get the death penalty or upto 25 years jail with fines ranging from Rs 25, 000 to Rs 100, 000.

Among the offences covered by the bill are military desertion, murder and attempt to murder, kidnapping, wrongful confinement in secret, sexual exploitation of children and trafficking, rape and gang rape, extortion, robbery, forging a valuable security or will and counterfeiting currency notes.

Duty on LTTE’s satellite equipment not fixed yet

By Ayesha R. Rafiq
The Customs Department has forwarded a preliminary report to the Finance Ministry on the issue of Customs duty payable on the VoT satellite communication equipment imported for the LTTE.

Director General of Customs S.C. Jayathillake told The Sunday Times that he had sent the preliminary report to the Finance Minister but declined to comment further as investigations were still in progress.

It is now over a month since Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe issued a statement that the question of unpaid Customs duty on communications equipment imported for the use of the Voice of Tiger (VoT) radio station operated by the LTTE would be determined in what he called 'a matter of days'.

Finance Minister K.N. Choksy also declined to comment on the recommendations of the report until he has sufficiently studied it and decided on a further course of action.
The satellite communication equipment controversially imported on behalf of the LTTE by the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo without Customs duty being paid, is now fully operational.

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