Cash rewards for cement hoarders' informants

Suraj A Bandara

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) will present cash rewards to persons providing information on traders hiding or over pricing stocks of cement anywhere in the country, Cooperatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said.

The minister revealed this during an inspection tour of the Boossa Economic Centre yesterday.

He said informants will receive rewards 25 percent to the value of cement recovered by the CAA from traders through raids. He queried the questionable role of the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLS) when offering the quality assurance certificates to cement imported by the government and private sector from the same company.

He requested Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi to make an inquiry into the controversial behaviour of the SLS Institute in issuing certificates.

The minister vehemently denied that there is a cement shortage in the country.

"I will never let blackmarketeers handle the market at any cost," he said. Fernando said he will crackdown on all traders who purposely create a cement shortage.

"I do not care about the mud slinging campaigns since these campaigns make me stronger," he said.