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CMs to go to court over fund cutting
By Harinda Vidanage
The Chief Ministers of provincial councils have warned that they will take immediate legal action if the government fails to meet their demands which include increasing the allocation of funds to the councils.

Western Province Chief Minister Reginald Cooray said they will go to courts over the issue. They were expecting to have a meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe shortly.

Mr. Cooray said they want to discuss with the Prime Minister the issue of the cutting of funds by the government as well as the issue of the government violating the devolved subject of local government.

He said that by establishing ministries under subjects such as local government, cooperatives and development this violation by the central government is visible which also results in work duplication and wastage of money.

Prime Minister's Secretary Bradman Weerakoon this week promised the Chief Ministers a meeting with the Prime Minister soon. The Chief Ministers handed over a memorandum to Mr. Weerakoon listing eight issues faced by the councils as a result of the cutting of funds. The main issue was the inability to continue the building work undertaken by the councils and to furnish the completed buildings.

'The cut in funds will affect the provision of facilities to schools and hospitals. The inability to employ much needed technical specialists who can operate sophisticated machinery will mean that equipment worth millions of rupees will be idle', the memorandum states.

The memorandum also stresses the need to maintain the highway network which is subject of the provincial councils and is used by the general public. Its deterioration will affect the relationship between the councils and its electorate, the memorandum states.

A copy of the memorandum was handed over to President Chandrika Kumaratunga after police prevented the Chief Ministers and their supporters advancing towards Temple Trees.

A noticeable omission in this memorandum was the signature of the Central province Chief Minister D.M.P.B. Dissanayake. Instead opposition leader Sarath Ekanayake's signature had been included.

The Chief Ministers had prepared this memorandum and requested a meeting with the Prime Minister in the backdrop of the Governors of the provincial councils trying to do the same on similar issues.

Sabaragamuwa Governor Saliya Mathew said that overall 65% of the funds allocated for development work in the provincial councils had been slashed creating huge crises of operation.

According to Mr. Mathew the Governors had passed a resolution requesting the government to immediately release funds to the provincial councils to carry out much needed development work.

He questioned the government's response that it is also facing financial difficulties but in the meanwhile providing funds to the recently established development ministries.

The convenor of the Governors' meeting, Uva province Governor M.S. Amarasiri. said the slashing of the funds approved by the Finance Commission is a violation of the Constitution and said they were planning to state this to the Prime Minister.

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