Why is a committee needed, asks Councillor

Shirley Wijesinghe

JVP Colombo Municipal Councillor Hemantha Kumara hit out against a decision to appoint a Committee to oversee operations of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) as a mere attempt to help people build their political image.

"Why is there a CMC in the first place, if it is to be run by a Committee," he queried at the General Meeting on October 22.

Kumara asked what would be the position in the event of a change of Government.

A proposal seeking Council approval to increase fees charged for burials at cemeteries under its purview due to heavy overhead costs was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance.

The proposed revised cemetery fees will badly affect city ratepayers and cause a disparity in burial charges between the city and the suburbs, UPFA Councillor Dayakantha Perera said.

He also touched on the recent protest campaign organised by CMC employees and appealed to the Mayor to set up a process to face such problems through the budget estimates for the ensuing financial year. Certain resolutions including a move to provide two vehicles for the Municipal Secretariat Department were differed and forwarded to the Standing Committee on Finance.