COPE directives ignored by SriLankan

• COPE Chairman says directives given to seven SOEs ignored 
• SriLankan among SOEs failing to respond to COPE 
• COPE Chair says pointless to conduct investigations sans results 

Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE) Chairman Sunil Handunnethi charged seven State-owned enterprises (SOEs), including SriLankan Airlines, were disregarding CoPE directives and continuing to waste public funds.  

Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute, National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), National Medicines Regulatory Authority, State Pharmaceutical Corporation, State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation, Regional Development Bank, and SriLankan Airlines for continuing to waste public money, neglecting CoPE directions.

MP Handunnetti, highlighting the State establishments disregarded the CoPE directions in Parliament on par with Standing Order 120 (4), held that these establishments under scrutiny have failed to respond with answers to CoPE queries within the stipulated eight-week period and kept silent. 

“Recommendations were made on 24 January, giving these institutions eight weeks to respond. There was ample time to respond. We strengthened Standing Orders to quicken the response time. Now this report was submitted in January. They are supposed to respond to us by March, but now it is June. There is no point in conducting investigations if they do not achieve something at the end,” he said.

MP Handunnetti also commended the Road Development Authority, Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education, MILCO, National Livestock Development Board, Paddy Marketing Board, and the Sri Lanka Transport Board for responding to the CoPE queries within the stipulated period. (AH)