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Customs Officers' in protest campaign

by Manjula Fernando

Customs officers staged a protest demonstration opposite Times Building, Fort yesterday against a move to take over an extent of land earmarked for the proposed Customs Headquarters building, by the Urban Development Authority.

The customs officers who joined in the protest organised by the Joint Customs Union Federation yesterday afternoon, marched to the Finance Ministry to hand over a petition addressed to Finance Minister K.N. Choksy.

However, no one volunteered to accept the petition on behalf of the minister who was absent at the time.

Customs Offices Union President Vipula Minuwanpitiya said they organised yesterday's action after numerous attempts to prevent the take over failed.

Earlier, the Joint Federation wrote to the Finance Ministry Secretary and several others, seeking their intervention in the matter.

Efforts have been made for the past 20 years to set up a Customs Department Headquarters building to centralise all units, now scattered at different locations, under one roof.

Minuwanpitiya said special cabinet approval has been obtained to transfer the land to the UDA and the unions allege the UDA is brokering a deal to hand over the land to a private party.

The Customs Department had obtained the disputed two acre land from the Ports Development Authority in 1999 in exchange for one of their properties within the Colombo Port.

The protesting Customs officers threatened to go for stern trade union action yesterday after their attempt to hand over a petition to the Finance Minister K.N. Choksy failed.

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