Parliament

Notaries (Amendment) Bill, Registration of Documents (Amendment) Bill:

'Govt expects to overcome existing shortcomings'

Sandasen MARASINGHE and Irangika RANGE

Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody presided when Parliament met at 1 pm yesterday.

After presentation of papers and oral questions, the House took up the second reading of the Notaries (Amendment) Bill and the Registration of Documents (Amendment) Bill and the Order under the Finance Act and Regulations under the Motor Traffic Act.

Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister W D J Seneviratne: The government expects to overcome many existing shortcomings through the Notaries (Amendment) Bill and the Registration of Documents (Amendment) Bill. According to the existing Acts, a low stamp fee is charged. Our objective is to amend the stamp fees.

The Registration of Documents Act also has to be updated so that the amendments could be introduced.

Deputy Chairman of Committees Murugesu Chandrakumar takes the Chair

John Amaratunga (UNP): We do not oppose the amendments to these Acts. Those are constructive.

But laws to prevent the preparing of forged deeds are not adequate. This responsibility falls upon the government to prevent such crimes. Criminals sometimes compel notaries to forge deeds to lands owned by others. Mostly this happens to persons who have left for foreign employment. So the government should take measures to prevent these types of crimes.

Transport Minister Kumara Welgama: When we speak of the Express Way the speed is limited to 100 km an hour. The minimum speed is not mentioned. There are two tracks in one direction and in one track vehicles can move at an ordinary speed. People cannot walk along that Express Way without permission. Backhoes, cycles, excavators also cannot use that road without permission. Learners too cannot drive vehicles along the Express Way. During a breakdown, vehicles have to signal and turn on the lights of the vehicles. Seat belts are not required for land vehicles, motor cycles, hearses, etc. Once the service area is completed, the speedway will be open.

Lakshman Kiriella (UNP): These amendments are timely. The government has not prepared a map where a provincial council, local government institutions and grama niladhari division or a given village is located. During the past, there was such a map which showed to which Pattuwa, Korale and District, a given village belonged.

Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa: When we consider the Registration of Documents, a large number of people make their living out of it. The maps will be updated soon. Somehow this amendment is timely because there are many incidents where forged deeds are prepared. These criminals sometimes use names of dead notaries to prepare these deeds. Sometimes they even use names of dead surveyors to prepare forged plans to prepare forged deeds.

They sometimes make forged documents to lands owned by the government. So, the government is of the view that a name list of registered notaries should be maintained annually.

Sujeewa Senasinghe (UNP): Although we impose laws, people manage to find loopholes to avoid them and commit crimes. So, we have to intensify penalties to those who make forged deeds. I have very rarely seen notaries being penalised for preparing forged deeds.

A H M Aswar takes the Chair:

Intensify the penalties on those criminals who make forged deeds. I have very rarely seen notaries sentenced who prepare forged deeds.

I think the expressway is timely. There should be a minimum speed limit that vehicles could be driven along this expressway.

Food Security Senior Minister P Dayaratne: An unbelievable number of people are killed daily due to road accidents. According to news reports, the situation is turning from bad to worse.

In the aftermath of these findings, the government has decided to bring in laws to make the use of seat belts compulsory for vehicle users.

Ravi Karunanayake (UNP): The government tries to destroy business ventures belonging to the Sinhalese. It is reported that several profit earning companies in Sri Lanka will be taken over by the government. We are speaking on behalf of the working class. There are 37 companies including 21 plantation industries which are to be taken over by the government.

How do you hope to attract new investments to the country, if you are going to pass legislations of this nature?

Several sacred areas too including Muthiyangana temple would also be taken under this Bill.

Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Minister Susil Premjaynantha: The government has no idea of taking over any profit making ventures owned by the private sector. It is only bankrupt business ventures that would be taken over to develop and convert them into profit making ventures. The government provides all possible facilities to investors to establish their ventures. The rural economy has been strengthened. Infrastructure facilities have been developed to facilitate investors.

Ajith P Perera (UNP) The Sevenagala Sugar Company is not a loss incurring company. Now the government is attempting to take over it.

This Act has been introduced as an urgent Bill. The Bill will cause irreparable damage to local industries.

Deputy Chairman of Committees Chandrakumar Murugesu: Many issues have been created when we attempt to register the lands in the North and East. When the Tamil people who reside in other countries due to terrorism were returning to Sri Lanka due to the peaceful situation in the country, they are facing many problems when they tried to claim the rights of their lands. So these amendments are timely and would solve most of their problems.

There are rumours about these amendments that mislead the Tamil people. This amendment will be very helpful to the Sri Lankan Tamils living abroad to claim the right of their lands in Sri Lanka.

But the Tamil language media in those countries mislead them in respective countries. The Sri Lankan embassies are not given an opportunity in those media to clarify the reality.

Thilanga Sumathipala (UPFA): During the recent past, a large number of vehicles were imported to the country to uplift the living standards of the people and a road network had been developed. If seat belts were used in vehicles, many deaths during traffic accidents could have been prevented. So I am happy that it is discussed in this Bill.

The speedway is a good development and drivers should need special practice to use it.

An accident on the speed way would cause a severe damage if one met with an accident. So there should be a proper mechanism that should be introduced.

Joseph Michael Perera (UNP): The government should take measures to clarify the deeds of those recipients of plots of lands granted by the government.

It will be a great relief to those people if the government take steps to clarify them under this amendment.

Mohan P de Silva (UPFA): The Opposition members did not speak on the Amendment Bills that were taken up today. But they spoke of the Bill that is to be taken up tomorrow.

These Amendment Bills are timely. Under these amendments, high ranking officers of Local Government Institutes will be educated on the changes of the ownership of plots of lands.

As a result of these transfers, the government had earned a sum of Rs 1,143 million and Rs 643 million during years 2009 and 2010 respectively.

A H Azwar takes the Chair.

Petroleum Industries Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena: The Local Government Institutions are not connected with the notary, due to which a number of issues have been created. The Provincial Councils are not aware of the activities of the notary reforms.

It is important that the Provincial Council, Divisional Secretariat and Grama Seva Niladharies being made aware of these activities performed by the notary, as this amendment is very important as it provides provisions in that respect.

Y G Padmasiri (UPFA) These are very practical and day to day relevant amendments which will pave the way for easy collection of revenue for local government authorities.

A proper mechanism should be prepared to collect revenue to local authorities through registration of documents.

The Bills were passed with amendments.

The House was adjourned until 1pm today.

'Cost of fuel prices will not burden people'

Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premjayantha, yesterday told Parliament that the government would always do its best to protect the people and never shift the cost of fuel prices to the masses blindly to cover losses.

Minister Susil Premjayantha making a reply speech to a special statement made by Acting Opposition Leader John Amaratunga, accusing the government of unfair price hikes of fuel, said the Opposition had been mistaken.

He denied that the government had to increase the fuel prices to cover up losses caused by inefficiency and corruption in the CPC. Even if the prices of fuel increased, the government would bear the loss of Rs 48 from a litre of diesel, Rs 31 from a litre of kerosene and Rs 45 from a litre of furnace oil, he said, adding that these costs had not been shifted to the consumer.

The recent price hikes of fuel had no connection with the hedging deal, or the losses caused by importation of the low quality petrol, the minister said.

The minister said that compensation was being paid to 380 cases of vehicles damaged owing to the use of low quality petrol and the process of compensating would end within two weeks.

The underground tunnel system of the CPC had been built about 40 years ago and tenders have been called to lay out a new tunnel system, the minister said, adding that the statement made by MP Amaratunga that the price of a barrel of oil had come down to US $ 80 was false.

MP Amaratunga accused the government of shifting the loss due to high inefficiency and massive corruptions in the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to the masses by increasing the prices of fuel.

Making a special statement, Chief Opposition Whip Amaratunga said the government had recently jacked up the prices of petrol by 12 rupees and diesel by eight rupees.

The CPC had to incur massive losses owing to the failed hedging deal. In case the CPC had to pay compensation, the government had no other option but to increase the prices of fuel products to cover the costs. The CPC had also lost huge sums of money due to importation of low quality petrol. The price of a barrel of oil in the world market had come down to around to 80 US dollars.

The maximum production cost of a litre of petrol could be fixed around Rs 85. However, the selling cost of a petrol litre is Rs 137. People have to bear an additional cost of Rs 52 for each litre they buy to cover up tax and losses caused by corruption and inefficiency of the CPC.

Prime Minister Jayaratne presents three Bills in Parliament

Prime Minister D M Jayaratne yesterday presented three Bills in Parliament, including the Revival of Underperforming Enterprises and Underutilized Assets Bill.

The other two Bills were Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill and the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (Amendment) Bill.

The Prime Minister presented the Revival of Underperforming Enterprises and Underutilized Assets Bill to provide for vesting in the State in the national interest, identified underperforming enterprises or underutilized assets, to appoint in respect of each one as more of such underperforming enterprises or underutilized assets a competent authority, to provide for their effective management, administration or revival through alternative utilization and payment of compensation in respect thereof and to provide for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

The second reading will be taken up today.

The Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill is a Bill to amend the Town and Country Planning Ordinance.

The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (Amendment) Bill is a Bill to amend the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka Law, No. 4 of 1978.