Major employee lay off at Sevanagala - minister
Ridma DISSANAYAKE
The Sevanagala Sugar Corporation had 764 permanent workers and around
1,200 casual workers. This is now reduced and there are only 164
permanent workers and 300 casual workers. They have no EPF or ETF and
most of them do not receive even basic allowances, Coconut Development
and Janatha Estates Development Minister Jagath Pushpakumara said.
Addressing the press at the Coconut Development and Janatha Estate
Development Ministry yesterday, the minister said that the sugar
corporation has the ability to produce more sugar and they had met 12
percent of the national sugar requirement in 2002.
"But it has decreased by nine percent and they are meeting only three
percent of the demand", he said.
Pushpakumara said the government has taken measures to takeover
several non-profitable institutions under the purview of the government.
'Most of these institutions, have not achieved their core targets and
responsibilities. They have showed profits while working outside the
laid down targets", the minister said.
The government has taken measures to takeover 37 institutions, under
their purview. But the Opposition is mostly talking about only a few
institutions. These are the Pelwatta Sugar Corporation,Sewanagala Sugar
Corporation and Ruhunu Putha Apparels (PVT) Ltd,he added. According to
the minister, the spirits used in the manufacture of illegal alcohol
have been produced as a by product of sugar production. "But in the last
few years, after they had been privatized, the production of the above
spirits had increased and they have produced 4,787,200 litres of spirit
in 2008.
In 2002, they had only produced 2,025,800 litres", he said.
"These things have happened as a result of deviating from the core
targets and responsibilities. It is only because of that the government
is to takeover these institutions under its purview. Measures will be
taken to develop these institutions as profitable institutions," the
minister said.
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