Parliament SOC to hold inquiry into waste containers

• Officials of relevant ministries, ports, CEA and Customs requested to be in P'ment tomorrow 
• Inquiry report to be presented to P’ment   

Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Economic Development has instructed relevant parties linked to the recent import of clinical waste from the UK to be present in parliament on Wednesday.  

Sectorial Oversight Committee Chairman and UNP parliamentarian Harshana Rajakaruna told reporters at Temple Trees on Monday that officials of the International Trade and Development Strategies Ministry, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Customs, Environment Ministry, and Central Environment Authority had been requested to present themselves before the SOC to gather information on the containers.    

“The inquiry will take place at 2.00 p.m on Wednesday in Parliament and the report will be presented to Parliament afterwards. This is a grave issue as now it appears that no one is willing to take responsibility for these containers. Therefore the Sectorial Oversight Committee will attempt to get to the bottom of this,” Rajakaruna said. 

Rajakaruna charged that a gazette notification indexed 1818/30 which facilitated the import of clinical waste had been issued during the term former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2013. The UNP parliamentarian charged that the present Government had to “clean up the garbage mountains created by the former administration.” 

However, he also said that the Government will take steps to address this issue and introduce any new laws or regulations to stop such harmful imports after the inquiry is concluded.