Municipal Councils Ordinance to be amended

Shirley Wijesinghe

The Municipal Councils Ordinance is to be amended to allow local bodies to enter into business partnerships with private sector and NGOs, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry sources said.

The main objective of the amendment is to involve local government institutions in socio-economic development activities at grass roots level.

Commenting on the proposal amendment , Ministry Consultant Sunil Fernando said most of the provisions in the ordinance had been introduced during the colonial regime and were outdated.

The amendments will be submitted by Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon to the Cabinet for approval shortly.

They will then be referred to the Legal Draftsman before seeking parliamentary approval, Fernando added.

The new amendments will provide an opportunity to mayors and deputy mayors to stay as councillors even after they resign their offices. According to the proposed amendments , fines imposed on commercial related offences will be increased.

Amendments will also ensure that basic sanitary facilities such as toilets , wash rooms and sufficient water supplies are provided to the employees by the respective employers.