New COPE begins oversight work

• Committee on Public Enterprises will meet for five days in October
• To summon Lanka Coal, RDA, CEA, BOI, Water Board and others
• Will examine audit reports of coal procurement for Lakvijaya plant and Central Expressway procurement process
• Environmental audit report on water pollution of the Kelani River will be examined too

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) will commence its proceedings next week, with Lanka Coal Company Ltd. the first to be summoned.

COPE’s new Chairman MP Charitha Herath said the committee would sit for five days between 6 and 23 October.

Lanka Coal Company Ltd. is scheduled to be summoned before the COPE Committee based on the special audit report submitted by the Auditor General on the procurement of coal for the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Coal Power Station from 2009. Officials of CCC have been summoned to the COPE Committee on 6 October.

The special audit report on feasibility study and procurement activities of the Central Expressway project will be taken up before the COPE committee on 20 October to which the Road Development Authority and the relevant project management units will be summoned.

The Water Board, the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, the Central Environmental Authority, and the Local Government authorities have been summoned before the COPE Committee the following day to take into discussion the environmental audit report on water pollution of the Kelani River.

In addition, the Coconut Development Authority, the Coconut Cultivation Authority, the Coconut Cultivation Board, and the Coconut Research Institute have been summoned before the COPE Committee on 23 October.

COPE consists of 22 members, of which Government members are Mahinda Amaraweera, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Susil Premjayantha, Jayantha Samaraweera, Dilum Amunugama, Indika Anuruddha Herath, Dr Sarath Weerasekera, D.V. Chanaka, Nalaka Godahewa, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Premnath C. Dolawatte, Jagath Pushpakumara, and Charitha Herath (Chair) while the Opposition members are  Rauff Hakeem, Anura Dissanayake, Patali Champika Ranawaka, Eran Wickramaratne, Ranjan Ramanayake, Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, S.M. Marikkar and Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam.