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Committee to report on salary increases to estate workers

by Duminda Guruge

A Committee headed by Presidential Secretary, K. Balapatabendi to inquire and report on salary increases to estate employees, has been appointed by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at the request of Ceylon Workers Alliance Secretary S. Sathasivam.

At a discussion held recently at the Presidential Secretariat, Committee Chairman Balapatabendi expressed hopes that the committees recommendations would be finalised early.

S. Sathasivam who is also the Consultant to the Ministry on Animal Husbandry disclosed that a program had already been prepared to deal with the problems of housing, education and health facilities of the estate employees. The program was intended to be implemented in terms of the suggestions of the sub-committee chaired by Dr. Upananda Vidanapathirana, Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation Industries, he said.

The housing development program is three pronged, one to provide permanent houses to those living in temporary dwellings, another to allocate an additional house to families over ten members living in the same house, and a third to provide permanent houses to 'line' dwellers.

Provision of a national school and a hospital for each division while improving the quality of dispensaries are among other facilities envisaged under the program, which will cost approximately Rs. 600 million, said Mr. Sathasivam.

Sathasivam also said that unplanned expenditure of Ministry funds during the past has created several problems in the estate sector and that the former Minister has spent only Rs. 50 million out of 100 million rupees allocated for estate housing development and that out of the funds assigned for the construction of Norwood Stadium, Rs. 8 million went to set up the boundary fence.

Plantation Industries Ministry Secretary Dr. Vidanapathirana, Tourism and Aviation Ministry Secretary W. P. S. Jayawardene and a large number of officials participated in the discussion.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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