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Independent Surveyors Council to ensure non-interference in professional activities

Lands Minister Rajitha Senaratne said he would take steps to set up an independent Surveyors Council on the lines of the Medical Council to ensure that politicians or any other outsiders did not interfere in the professional activities of Surveyors in future.

A Bill to this effect will be introduced in Parliament this year after consulting all trade unions in the Surveyor service.

Minister Senaratne said this when he opened a new six roomed building complex at the Survey Department Circuit Bungalow at Kataragama recently.

The Minister said he had great pleasure in opening the Department's first Circuit Bungalow at Kataragama consisting of nine rooms. It would be a boon to employees of the Survey Department visiting Kataragama on pilgrimage.

He said such facilities would be an added dividend to public servants who are mostly underpaid. He said the government was duty bound to provide such welfare facilities to public servants who rendered a vital national service. The Minister said China for instance had made it compulsory for public servants to avail themselves of holiday leave and the state bears the cost incurred by them in enjoying such holidays with their families in holiday resorts.

He said since he assumed duties as Minister he had studied the activities of the Surveyors service in-depth.

His sole endeavour was to upgrade this service to a highly qualified professional service. In this regard it is hoped to introduce a special surveyors minute on the lines of the medical, dental and health services minutes. Such a minute would ensure a streamlines transfer scheme devoid of any political interference.

Minister Senaratne said he has already held discussions with union in the Surveyors profession and found solutions to many outstanding problems. In the sphere of modern technology the Survey Department lags far behind other countries in the world.

He hoped to start the G.I.S. mapping scheme in Sri Lanka with World Bank assistance soon. The necessary equipment has been already ordered and they will help simplify the work of Surveyors who undergo immense difficulties specially on assignments in the difficult areas.

The Minister said the progress achieved by his Ministry so far has been acclaimed by the Government and the World Bank.

It is the co-operation and support received from all officials and the rest of the staff which had enabled the Ministry to receive such accolades and he was thankful to all staff for it.

Survey Superintendents Padmakumara Vithana and Ranjith Palihakkara and Assistant Survey Superintendent T.H. Jeevananda also spoke.

Dr. (Mrs) Sujatha Senaratne, Surveyor General Ranasinghe Silva, Additional Surveyor General P.E. Ariyaratne and Deputy Surveyor General (Southern Province) K. Dayananda were also present.

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