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Call to appoint Special Commissioner to run KMC
The Organisation for the Protection of Public Property, in a letter to President Maithripala Sirisena has requested him to appoint a Presidential Commission to inquire into the workings of the Kandy Municipal Council.
They allege over the past few years large-scale corruption has taken place and demand the appointment of a Special Commissioner.
The organization alleges that at its last meeting on 14.10.2015, the Council passed resolutions allocating lands to a certain category of employees and to particular members of the Council in contradiction to the Lands Ordinance of the country. It demands that the resolution be declared null and void.
The organization points out that while there are large numbers of landless people within the Kandy district, the Council chose to allocate lands to particular individuals and specific categories of workers, contravening the Lands Ordinance.
It contends the resolution was passed by the Council hastily in the face of dissolution.
As an example of the corruption taking place, the letter which has been copied to premier Wickremasinghe highlights an instance where a staff member had been allocated land in the name of his wife, which led to protests at a previous meeting of the council.
Subsequently the council decided to report the matter to the CID for investigation, but the Municipal Commissioner did not carry out the order.
The organization charges that this was an act of insubordination on the part of the Commissioner. It adds a watcher hired by the Council had been allocated land by the Government Agent. A spa is now being run on this land.
This watcher is also one of the beneficiaries of the Council’s 14th October, 2015 decision to provide reservation land on Rajasinghe Mawatha to certain categories of employees and members.