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CMC members vote to double their allowance
View(s):Colombo Municipal Council members this week voted to more than double their monthly allowance from Rs 20,000 to Rs 45,000.
The Rs. 25,000 hike was proposed by Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake and passed by a vote at the General Council meeting held on Friday. This grants the 119 members of the CMC a monthly allowance of Rs 45,000 in addition to Rs 7,000 for travel, around Rs 6,000 for telephone and Rs 1,000 for postage.
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s 23 members walked out during the vote, said Sharmila Gonawala who contested the last local Government elections from that party. She said she had protested the increase in allowance because, despite the CMC boasting a fixed deposit of Rs 2,000mn in the bank, “Our current account is running on an overdraft of Rs 750mn”.
“Is this the time to give increments?” she asked. However, the governing UNP had argued that, at Rs 25,000, the allowance for councillors was insufficient by far, and that they must be granted a “respectable allowance” commensurate with their status. They also maintained that they incurred cost in attending funerals and other public functions.
The Council had 53 members until the local Government elections which were held under a new electoral system in February. The numbers increased to 119 and there are now 28 women including the Mayor.