Quick Look

New year festival

A New Year festival (Bak Maha Ulela) organised by the Anuradhapura Weluwanagama WSC sports club will be held at the Weluwanagama playground on April 19.

Buddhist talk

Professor Raja de Alwis will deliver a Public Buddhist talk in English on “Views on Metta Bhavana Practice” at a meeting of the Servants of the Buddha Society on Saturday April 18 at 4.30 p.m. at Maitri Hall, Lauries Road, Bambalapitiya.

Co-ordination office

Matale district group corr.

A co-ordination office of Jathika Namal Uyana which gained international fame has been inaugurated recently near Dambulla main bus stand under the instructions of the Government.

The access road to this place is being constructed by the Highways Department, spending Rs. 2 million, while it is to be named Jathika Namal Uyana Mawatha. ‘

New VTC in N’Eliya

Nuwara Eliya district Group corr.

Vocational and Technical Training Minister Piyasena Gamage opened a New two storeyed building at Nuwara Eliya district Vocational Training Centre recently.

Livestock Development Minister R.M.C.B. Ratnayake also participated in the ceremony.

Work on bridge

Walapane Somasiri Nuwara Eliya district group corr.

The residents of Oyapalatha and surrounding areas said, that they are not satisfied with the work on the Kurundu Oya bridge which is connected to Walapane Divisional Hospital Road.

The Central Province Highways Ministry authorities have not taken any action to remedy this situation.

‘Keep the City clean’

M.I.M. Azhar Maligaikadu group corr.

The Community Development Unit of Al-Ameen Sri Lanka in Sainthamaruthu Divisional Secretariat has launched a “Keep the City Clean” program to educate schoolchildren in Sainthamaruthu Divisional Education Division on the impact of a healthy environment for human health.

The program is conducted in collaboration with the health authorities in the area.

Two Jana Saba offices

Malimbada group corr.

Measures have been taken to construct two offices of ‘Jana Saba’ at Poththewela and Kandegoda in the Divisional Secretariat area of Hakmana under the ‘Gama Neguma’ development program.

The Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Facilities Development has voted Rs. 3.3 million for the construction of those two buildings.

Over 2,500 families in these two villages would be benefited with the completion of work on the two buildings.

Thirty rural roads to be developed

T. K. ARIYADASA Malimbada group corr.

A massive project to develop dilapidated rural roads in Mulatiyana Divisional Secretariat area in the district of Matara has been launched under the ‘Maga Neguma’ development program.

Thirty dilapidated rural roads in Makandura, Beragama, Radawela, Ransegoda, Kithsiripura, Neralampitiya, Pitawalgamuwa, Gombaddala, Dharmavijayagama, Bamunugama and Puwakdolagama areas would be developed under the project.

The Highways Ministry has voted Rs. 13 million for the project.

Good news for rubber land owners

Aranayake special corr.

The Plantation Industries Ministry will pay a supplementary payment of Rs. 20 per kilogram of sheet rubber sold between February and March 31 to compensate small rubber land owners in the Kegalle and Gampaha districts, who had to sell their dry rubber at very low prices.

We are on holiday

The Daily News will not be published on April 14 and 15, 2009 (Tuesday and Wednesday). It will be published on April 16 (Thursday) as usual.

TNA to meet Indian leaders

In response to an invitation by the Indian Foreign Office some time ago, the Tamil National Alliance has decided to meet the Indian leaders to discuss the current situation in the North.

Parliamentarians R. Sampanthan, Suresh Premachandran, A. Adaikalanathan and Mavai Senathirajah are scheduled to meet the Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon on April 15- 16, 2009.

Mavai Senathirajah left for India few days ago while the others had gone earlier.

Indian coaches for Lanka

The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in India will manufacture coaches for Sri Lanka. The railway’s coach factory has received orders to manufacture 15 rakes of Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) having 90 coaches for Sri Lankan Railways this year, ICF general manager M. S. Jayanth said. The Times of India

India hands over 34 fishermen to SLN

Indian Coast Guard officials handed over 34 Sri Lankan fishermen to the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) at Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu on April 11, 2009, an IANS news report said.

The fishermen from Southern Sri Lanka had trespassed into Indian waters and were arrested along with seven craft and a sizeable catch on March 26. Coast Guard personnel had handed over Rs.173,000 cash in lieu of the value of the catch seized earlier.

Indian fishermen held under similar circumstances returned to India on Friday.

More trains during season

The Railway Department will operate thirty seven (37) trains in addition to the present fleet of 300 trains for the convenience of the commuters during the festive season.

The additional trains were scheduled to run to Bandarawela, Galle, Nanu Oya, Anuradhapura, Rambukkana, Kandy, Trincomalee and Mahava. The passenger capacity of four trains, Rajarata Rajina, Trincomalee Night Train, Anuradhapura Inter-city, Anuradhapura Express/Slow train, had increased considerably with added railway carriages to each of these trains, senior official of the Transport Ministry said.

CMC Special Commissioner

SHIRLEY WIJESINGHE

Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana has appointed, Municipal Commissioner Bhadrani Jayawardana as the Special Commissioner of the Colombo Municipal Council in addition to her present duties.

Jayawardana told the Daily News yesterday that her appointment was made by the Western Provincial Governor according to the Local Government statute No.04 of 1991 and Municipal Council ordinance.

Sources said that Special Commissioner H. Sumanapala was requested to resign from the post of Special Commissioner, but he denied it Sumanapala said that the Governor has removed him from the post of Special Commissioner.

Explanation sought from bank regarding granting of loan

Sarath Malalasekera

A Sri Lankan living in Dubai-UAE has written to a leading Bank in Sri Lanka requesting the Bank to inform him how a large sums of money had been granted as a loan under his name while he was living abroad.

M.M. Haji Anwar of Dubai -UAE in a fax message to the Bank had requested the Bank to provide all details on the fraudulent activity to his -Attorney- father H. A. Ahamed, Chairman Janatha Group of Companies without delay.

“This is shocking and defamatory to issue a loan under my name when was not in Sri Lanka”, Haji Anwar stated in the fax message to the bank.

“I am already seeking legal advice from my lawyers in Dubai and in Sri Lanka on taking legal action,” Anwar stated in the fax message.