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European parliament votes in favor of granting GSP+ to Sri Lanka
Thu, Apr 27, 2017, 06:07 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Apr 27, Brussels: The European Parliament Thursday has voted to defeat a resolution tabled to deny granting the European Union's Generalized Scheme of Preferences, Plus known as GSP+ tariff concession to Sri Lanka again.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Harsha de Silva said that Sri Lanka won the vote in Brussels after 436 MEPs voted against, 119 voted in favor and 22 abstained for the motion to deny GSP plus for Sri Lanka.
An European Parliamentary group tabled the resolution in the 751-member European Parliament against granting the GSP+tariff concession to Sri Lanka saying that Sri Lanka's government's reform efforts are not adequate to grant the tariff concession.
The group, Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) of 52 Members of European Parliament (MEPs) in their submission says that the government's reform efforts, including those that directly relate to the GSP+ criteria, have not yet delivered in their purpose to comply with the international conventions.
The Sri Lankan government held discussions with several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) ahead of the vote and discussed issues related to the Sri Lanka GSP+ to explain the measures the government has taken to improve democracy, governance, rule of law, human rights and reconciliation.
The 751-member European Parliament's vote today follows the European Commission's recommendation in January that GSP+ should be granted to Sri Lanka once again after withdrawing it in 2010 due to the poor human rights record of the country.
In 2015, the new government of Sri Lanka set out a path of major reforms aiming for national reconciliation, respect of human rights, the rule of law and good governance principles, as well as sustainable economic development. The Sri Lankan government applied for GSP+ in July 2016 and the Commission�s assessment has concluded that it met the GSP+ entry criteria set out in the EU Regulation.
The EU is Sri Lanka's biggest export market accounting for nearly one-third of Sri Lanka's global exports. In 2015, total bilateral trade amounted to Euro 4.7 billion. EU imports from Sri Lanka amounted to euro 2.6 billion and consisted mainly of textiles as well as rubber products and machinery.
- http://www.colombopage.com/archive_17A/Apr27_1493296669CH.php
Thu, Apr 27, 2017, 06:07 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Apr 27, Brussels: The European Parliament Thursday has voted to defeat a resolution tabled to deny granting the European Union's Generalized Scheme of Preferences, Plus known as GSP+ tariff concession to Sri Lanka again.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Harsha de Silva said that Sri Lanka won the vote in Brussels after 436 MEPs voted against, 119 voted in favor and 22 abstained for the motion to deny GSP plus for Sri Lanka.
An European Parliamentary group tabled the resolution in the 751-member European Parliament against granting the GSP+tariff concession to Sri Lanka saying that Sri Lanka's government's reform efforts are not adequate to grant the tariff concession.
The group, Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) of 52 Members of European Parliament (MEPs) in their submission says that the government's reform efforts, including those that directly relate to the GSP+ criteria, have not yet delivered in their purpose to comply with the international conventions.
The Sri Lankan government held discussions with several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) ahead of the vote and discussed issues related to the Sri Lanka GSP+ to explain the measures the government has taken to improve democracy, governance, rule of law, human rights and reconciliation.
The 751-member European Parliament's vote today follows the European Commission's recommendation in January that GSP+ should be granted to Sri Lanka once again after withdrawing it in 2010 due to the poor human rights record of the country.
In 2015, the new government of Sri Lanka set out a path of major reforms aiming for national reconciliation, respect of human rights, the rule of law and good governance principles, as well as sustainable economic development. The Sri Lankan government applied for GSP+ in July 2016 and the Commission�s assessment has concluded that it met the GSP+ entry criteria set out in the EU Regulation.
The EU is Sri Lanka's biggest export market accounting for nearly one-third of Sri Lanka's global exports. In 2015, total bilateral trade amounted to Euro 4.7 billion. EU imports from Sri Lanka amounted to euro 2.6 billion and consisted mainly of textiles as well as rubber products and machinery.
- http://www.colombopage.com/archive_17A/Apr27_1493296669CH.php
A viable solution to the disposal of garbage
Published : 9:07 am April 27, 2017
In the recent past, the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry identified a land in Aruwakkalu, Puttalam to construct a sanitary land filling.
“In Aruwakkalu there is the quarry which was mined for limestone. We can use this to dump garbage. We can use a sanitary filling for them and then use it,” they said.
Limestone excavation will continue at the site while the Ministry lays out a sanitary land filling in pits that can no longer be excavated for limestone.
“We found a good place to construct a sanitary land filling in Puttalam District at Aruwakkalu, which is not close to the Wilpattu national park,” the officials said.
Previously, the government had a plan to transfer garbage to the Puttalam district via train but the project was halted after protests against it. The previous government was forced to halt the project amid planning, despite receiving an Environmental Impact Asessment (EIA) report.
However, the ministry has found a second site in Aruwakkalu which would be put to use soon after the Ministry received an EIA report for the land.
The officials said they had already negotiated with the company mining the area as to how the sanitary land filling would be laid out, while the company continues to mine for limestone.
“The land survey is complete and now we have almost completed the geo-technical survey for the site. We hope to get the EIA by August and start on the project soon after. We had plans to build the train track from Meethotamulla to Aruwakkalu but now we have issues constructing the track there,” they said.
After the collapse of the garbage mountain earlier this month, the Ministry can no longer use the land to construct a railway track to transport the garbage.
“We had to identify an alternative land at Kelaniya which can be used as a transfer point for the garbage,” the officials said.
The garbage at Meethotamulla and new garbage collected from the Colombo Municipality, will be transferred to the Aruwakkalu sanitary land.
“Almost 1,200 tons of garbage per day is collected from Colombo and will be transferred to the new sanitary land at Aruwakkalu,” they said.
However, the garbage issue is the sole responsibility of local government bodies and the Ministry has taken several steps to help these authorities to resolve the issue.
“We do the planning, we help them with documents, and help them with the construction of the project, but the operation of the project is the responsibility of the local government bodies,” both officials said.
Full article
Published : 9:07 am April 27, 2017
In the recent past, the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry identified a land in Aruwakkalu, Puttalam to construct a sanitary land filling.
“In Aruwakkalu there is the quarry which was mined for limestone. We can use this to dump garbage. We can use a sanitary filling for them and then use it,” they said.
Limestone excavation will continue at the site while the Ministry lays out a sanitary land filling in pits that can no longer be excavated for limestone.
“We found a good place to construct a sanitary land filling in Puttalam District at Aruwakkalu, which is not close to the Wilpattu national park,” the officials said.
Previously, the government had a plan to transfer garbage to the Puttalam district via train but the project was halted after protests against it. The previous government was forced to halt the project amid planning, despite receiving an Environmental Impact Asessment (EIA) report.
However, the ministry has found a second site in Aruwakkalu which would be put to use soon after the Ministry received an EIA report for the land.
The officials said they had already negotiated with the company mining the area as to how the sanitary land filling would be laid out, while the company continues to mine for limestone.
“The land survey is complete and now we have almost completed the geo-technical survey for the site. We hope to get the EIA by August and start on the project soon after. We had plans to build the train track from Meethotamulla to Aruwakkalu but now we have issues constructing the track there,” they said.
After the collapse of the garbage mountain earlier this month, the Ministry can no longer use the land to construct a railway track to transport the garbage.
“We had to identify an alternative land at Kelaniya which can be used as a transfer point for the garbage,” the officials said.
The garbage at Meethotamulla and new garbage collected from the Colombo Municipality, will be transferred to the Aruwakkalu sanitary land.
“Almost 1,200 tons of garbage per day is collected from Colombo and will be transferred to the new sanitary land at Aruwakkalu,” they said.
However, the garbage issue is the sole responsibility of local government bodies and the Ministry has taken several steps to help these authorities to resolve the issue.
“We do the planning, we help them with documents, and help them with the construction of the project, but the operation of the project is the responsibility of the local government bodies,” both officials said.
Full article
India assures Sri Lanka on world class road infrastructure in Jaffna
April 27, 2017 12:09 am
India has agreed to cooperate with Sri Lanka in developing world class road infrastructure in Jaffna region of Sri Lanka.
The Indo-Sri Lanka Cooperation in road construction came up for discussion when India’s Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari called on visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
During the discussions, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister invited the Government of India to take up development of three stretches of major road stretches namely Jaffna to Mannar, Mannar to Vavuniya and Dambulla to Tricomalee.
The Minister informed the Sri Lankan Prime Minister that India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, during the last three years, has showcased tremendous amount of acceleration of road construction in India and is capable of taking up the roads and completing before time.
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister suggested that these stretches are important for Sri Lanka to develop the region of Jaffna.
Gadkari assured the Sri Lanka Prime Minister that Government of India and his Ministry shall fully cooperate with Sri Lankan Government’s efforts in developing world class infrastructure in Sri Lanka.
The Minister also suggested that taking up all these stretches for development may only be possible with the active support of Sri Lankan agencies for land acquisition and local clearances.
Without acquisition and other clearances in place, it will be difficult to complete the project in time.
Indian delegation proposed that a suitable financial model for developing these roads may be put in place.
On receiving the final formal proposal, the Minister assured that we may look at appointing an international consultant to take up detailed study and preparation of feasibility report and DPR for these stretches.
Gadkari reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment of India’s active support in strengthening bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile India and Sri Lanka will hold a dialogue on how to check the growing threat of the Islamic State in South Asia and any attempt by the terror outfit to destabilise the region.
The issue was discussed when Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh called on visiting Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe in New Delhi today.
The home minister welcomed the Sri Lankan prime minister and emphasised on the close political ties between the two countries.
Both the leaders expressed concern over the growing ISIS threat and agreed that there should be a continuous dialogue between the security organisations of the two countries to thwart any attempt by the terror outfit to destabilise the stability and peace in the region, an official statement said.
The issues concerning the fishermen who inadvertently cross the international maritime boundary line were also discussed and it was felt that the same should be resolved at the earliest with no more loss of lives, it said.
Source: ANI/Outlook
- http://www.adaderana.lk/news/40375/...-on-world-class-road-infrastructure-in-jaffna
April 27, 2017 12:09 am
India has agreed to cooperate with Sri Lanka in developing world class road infrastructure in Jaffna region of Sri Lanka.
The Indo-Sri Lanka Cooperation in road construction came up for discussion when India’s Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari called on visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
During the discussions, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister invited the Government of India to take up development of three stretches of major road stretches namely Jaffna to Mannar, Mannar to Vavuniya and Dambulla to Tricomalee.
The Minister informed the Sri Lankan Prime Minister that India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, during the last three years, has showcased tremendous amount of acceleration of road construction in India and is capable of taking up the roads and completing before time.
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister suggested that these stretches are important for Sri Lanka to develop the region of Jaffna.
Gadkari assured the Sri Lanka Prime Minister that Government of India and his Ministry shall fully cooperate with Sri Lankan Government’s efforts in developing world class infrastructure in Sri Lanka.
The Minister also suggested that taking up all these stretches for development may only be possible with the active support of Sri Lankan agencies for land acquisition and local clearances.
Without acquisition and other clearances in place, it will be difficult to complete the project in time.
Indian delegation proposed that a suitable financial model for developing these roads may be put in place.
On receiving the final formal proposal, the Minister assured that we may look at appointing an international consultant to take up detailed study and preparation of feasibility report and DPR for these stretches.
Gadkari reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment of India’s active support in strengthening bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile India and Sri Lanka will hold a dialogue on how to check the growing threat of the Islamic State in South Asia and any attempt by the terror outfit to destabilise the region.
The issue was discussed when Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh called on visiting Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe in New Delhi today.
The home minister welcomed the Sri Lankan prime minister and emphasised on the close political ties between the two countries.
Both the leaders expressed concern over the growing ISIS threat and agreed that there should be a continuous dialogue between the security organisations of the two countries to thwart any attempt by the terror outfit to destabilise the stability and peace in the region, an official statement said.
The issues concerning the fishermen who inadvertently cross the international maritime boundary line were also discussed and it was felt that the same should be resolved at the earliest with no more loss of lives, it said.
Source: ANI/Outlook
- http://www.adaderana.lk/news/40375/...-on-world-class-road-infrastructure-in-jaffna
Blue Mountain successfully completes 50th piling milestone for ‘Achilleion’ two weeks ahead of schedule
2017-04-28 11:30:02
Blue Mountain’s latest and most iconic real estate project to date ‘Achilleion’ is two weeks ahead of its piling schedule and is well on track to meet its target completion date in 2020. The company recently completed its 50th piling, and the balance 50 piles are scheduled as part of the construction process.
Piling is integral to the overall construction process and provides the essential support that buildings require. Piling ensures the structural strength of a building and is a technique that helps to set deep and sturdy foundations. The piling for Blue Mountain’s ‘Achilleion’ is being done by San Piling (Pvt) Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Sanken Construction (Pvt) Ltd, one of the leading piling companies in Sri Lanka which has a strong reputation for delivering excellence and being a trusted partner in the development of mega real estate developments.
Commenting on the project, Dr.Hiran Hettiarachchi (MBBS-Colombo & MBA-Australia) – Group Chairman of Blue Mountain, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to reassure our valued clients and investors that ‘Achillieon’ is well on track for completion in 2020. We are well ahead of our schedule and have put all of the measures and protocols in place to ensure that the construction process continues in a seamless and organized manner, adhering to all key targeted deadlines. We are proud to be building this iconic 7-star luxury residence in Sri Lanka and we look forward to it transforming Colombo’s rapidly evolving skyline.”
Also commenting on the project’s progress on the ground to date, Prabath Raveendra - Civil Engineer, SAN Pilling (PVT) Limited, said: “It’s always great when we you’re two weeks ahead of the schedule and our team is committed to keep this great momentum by our side. We recently acquired a BAUER GB 40 Hydraulic Grab, the largest and the most powerful machine in Sri Lanka to work on this iconic project. Following the completion of the next 50 piling sessions, we will move on to completing the diaphragm walls, the retaining walls that will ensure that ‘Achilleion’ remains a safe structure that can support the weight of 50 floors and two underground floors.”
Upon its completion, ‘Achilleion’ will offer residents the epitome of luxury living in the heart of Colombo. State-of-the-art features and facilities will be incorporated into the structure and residents will have full access to a private helicopter and helipad, a fleet of Mercedes Benz luxury cars and an advanced 24-hour medical centre. The property will also has the country’s tallest sky bridge and other features that will be available include a library, a private theatre and beautifully appointed rooms and interiors that have been tastefully designed by Singapore based design consultancy, Index. ‘Achilleion’ is a Blue Mountain development that is being constructed in partnership with world renowned property developer, the P&T Group.
- http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/B...leion-two-weeks-ahead-of-schedule-127981.html
2017-04-28 11:30:02
Blue Mountain’s latest and most iconic real estate project to date ‘Achilleion’ is two weeks ahead of its piling schedule and is well on track to meet its target completion date in 2020. The company recently completed its 50th piling, and the balance 50 piles are scheduled as part of the construction process.
Piling is integral to the overall construction process and provides the essential support that buildings require. Piling ensures the structural strength of a building and is a technique that helps to set deep and sturdy foundations. The piling for Blue Mountain’s ‘Achilleion’ is being done by San Piling (Pvt) Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Sanken Construction (Pvt) Ltd, one of the leading piling companies in Sri Lanka which has a strong reputation for delivering excellence and being a trusted partner in the development of mega real estate developments.
Commenting on the project, Dr.Hiran Hettiarachchi (MBBS-Colombo & MBA-Australia) – Group Chairman of Blue Mountain, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to reassure our valued clients and investors that ‘Achillieon’ is well on track for completion in 2020. We are well ahead of our schedule and have put all of the measures and protocols in place to ensure that the construction process continues in a seamless and organized manner, adhering to all key targeted deadlines. We are proud to be building this iconic 7-star luxury residence in Sri Lanka and we look forward to it transforming Colombo’s rapidly evolving skyline.”
Also commenting on the project’s progress on the ground to date, Prabath Raveendra - Civil Engineer, SAN Pilling (PVT) Limited, said: “It’s always great when we you’re two weeks ahead of the schedule and our team is committed to keep this great momentum by our side. We recently acquired a BAUER GB 40 Hydraulic Grab, the largest and the most powerful machine in Sri Lanka to work on this iconic project. Following the completion of the next 50 piling sessions, we will move on to completing the diaphragm walls, the retaining walls that will ensure that ‘Achilleion’ remains a safe structure that can support the weight of 50 floors and two underground floors.”
Upon its completion, ‘Achilleion’ will offer residents the epitome of luxury living in the heart of Colombo. State-of-the-art features and facilities will be incorporated into the structure and residents will have full access to a private helicopter and helipad, a fleet of Mercedes Benz luxury cars and an advanced 24-hour medical centre. The property will also has the country’s tallest sky bridge and other features that will be available include a library, a private theatre and beautifully appointed rooms and interiors that have been tastefully designed by Singapore based design consultancy, Index. ‘Achilleion’ is a Blue Mountain development that is being constructed in partnership with world renowned property developer, the P&T Group.
- http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/B...leion-two-weeks-ahead-of-schedule-127981.html
කොළඹට ඉලෙක්ට්රික් බස්
කොළඹ හා සදාසන්න ප්රදේශවල ජනතාවගේ ගමන් පහසුව ඇති කිරීම හා නාගරික මාර්ග තදබදයට පිළියමක් වශයෙන් විදුලි බලයෙන් ක්රියා කරන විද්යුත් බස් (Electric Bus) 1000ක් ගෙන්වා ධාවනයට යෙදවීමට කටයුතු කර ඇතැයි ලංකා පෞද්ගලික බස් රථ හිමියන්ගේ සංගමයේ සභාපති ගැමුණු විජේරත්න මහතා සිළුමිණට කීය.
මුදල් අමාත්යවරයාගේ හා බස්නාහිර පළාත් හා මහානගර සංවර්ධන අමාත්යවරයාගේ සහායෙන් මේ කර්තව්යය සිදු කිරීමට අදහස් කරනු ලබන බවත් එම බස් රථ ගෙන්වා පළමුව මොරටුව විශ්වවිද්යාලයේ අධීක්ෂණයට යොමු කරන බවත් ඒ මහතා කීය.
බස් රථ ප්රමුඛතා මාර්ගවල මේ බස් රථ ධාවනයට පියවර ගන්නා බවද මේ හරහා මඟී තදබදය අඩුවන අතර පරිසර හානියක් සිදු නොවන බවද ඒ මහතා වැඩිදුරටත් පෙන්වා දෙයි.
මේ වන විට බස් රථ වර්ග 3ක් සාම්පල සඳහා චීනයෙන් ආනයනයට කටයුතු යොදා ඇතැයිද ඒ මහතා පවසයි.
මේ බස් රථ උදය වරුවේ පැය 3ක කාලයක් සහ පස්වරුවේ පැය 3ක කාලයක්ද ධාවනය කරනු ලබන අතර, රාත්රී 8 සිට 12 දක්වා විශේෂිත සේවාවක් සැපයීමට කටයුතු කරනු ලබන බවද ඒ මහතා කීය.
සුඛෝපභෝගී බස් රථ යෙදවීම නිසා කොළඹ නගරයට පැමිණෙන වාහන සංඛ්යාව අවම කරගැන්මට හැකියාව ලැබෙනු ඇතැයිද ඒ මහතා විශ්වාසය පළ කෙළේය.
- http://www.silumina.lk/2017/04/29/පුවත්/කොළඹට-ඉලෙක්ට්රික්-බස්
කොළඹ හා සදාසන්න ප්රදේශවල ජනතාවගේ ගමන් පහසුව ඇති කිරීම හා නාගරික මාර්ග තදබදයට පිළියමක් වශයෙන් විදුලි බලයෙන් ක්රියා කරන විද්යුත් බස් (Electric Bus) 1000ක් ගෙන්වා ධාවනයට යෙදවීමට කටයුතු කර ඇතැයි ලංකා පෞද්ගලික බස් රථ හිමියන්ගේ සංගමයේ සභාපති ගැමුණු විජේරත්න මහතා සිළුමිණට කීය.
මුදල් අමාත්යවරයාගේ හා බස්නාහිර පළාත් හා මහානගර සංවර්ධන අමාත්යවරයාගේ සහායෙන් මේ කර්තව්යය සිදු කිරීමට අදහස් කරනු ලබන බවත් එම බස් රථ ගෙන්වා පළමුව මොරටුව විශ්වවිද්යාලයේ අධීක්ෂණයට යොමු කරන බවත් ඒ මහතා කීය.
බස් රථ ප්රමුඛතා මාර්ගවල මේ බස් රථ ධාවනයට පියවර ගන්නා බවද මේ හරහා මඟී තදබදය අඩුවන අතර පරිසර හානියක් සිදු නොවන බවද ඒ මහතා වැඩිදුරටත් පෙන්වා දෙයි.
මේ වන විට බස් රථ වර්ග 3ක් සාම්පල සඳහා චීනයෙන් ආනයනයට කටයුතු යොදා ඇතැයිද ඒ මහතා පවසයි.
මේ බස් රථ උදය වරුවේ පැය 3ක කාලයක් සහ පස්වරුවේ පැය 3ක කාලයක්ද ධාවනය කරනු ලබන අතර, රාත්රී 8 සිට 12 දක්වා විශේෂිත සේවාවක් සැපයීමට කටයුතු කරනු ලබන බවද ඒ මහතා කීය.
සුඛෝපභෝගී බස් රථ යෙදවීම නිසා කොළඹ නගරයට පැමිණෙන වාහන සංඛ්යාව අවම කරගැන්මට හැකියාව ලැබෙනු ඇතැයිද ඒ මහතා විශ්වාසය පළ කෙළේය.
- http://www.silumina.lk/2017/04/29/පුවත්/කොළඹට-ඉලෙක්ට්රික්-බස්
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Rs 580 million ‘transport hub’ for Kandy
By L.B. Senaratne
With the establishment of the Strategic Cities Development Plan coming under Minister Champika Ranawaka, plans have now been drawn to commence a ‘Transport Hub’, embracing both the ‘Goods Shed Bus Stand’ and the Railway Terminal in Kandy, at an estimated cost of Rs 580 million (US$ 40 million).
Minister Ranawaka told the media that the terminal will be like an Airport Terminal, where everything a passenger needs would be met, be it road or railway transport.
Work is scheduled to commence in January 2018.
The Minister made a formal request to the media against highlighting opposition to the inevitable, temporary displacement of business establishments and houses, that would take place. This, he asked for the future good of this ancient capital and Heritage City.
The Minister categorically stated the road running parallel to the Sri Dalada Maligawa would not be opened, as this small stretch would not make much of a difference to ease traffic congestion, which should be an overall policy, not a patch-up job.
Kandy lies in a valley, and its biggest problem is transport and its congestion. While places such as Kurunegala has developed its bus terminal over the years, Kandy’s City representatives have only been ‘talking’ of Transport problems and ad hoc solutions.
Previously, the late General Anuruddha Ratwatte tried implementing a Transport system without a formal plan, and the first thing he did was to pull down the Boy Scouts Headquarters, as the launch of a Transport plan. Today, that space is used as a temporary bus shelter. The Scouts were given land at Pallekelle.
The plan was to connect the ‘Goods Shed’ bus terminal to the Railway Terminal, by an overhead bridge. He built shops for traders and also planned to have a terminal with an overhead car park connecting Peradeniya Road. All the plans remained as such, ‘stuck in the traffic’.
Kandy is to be developed under the Strategic Cities Development Plan.
- http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170430/news/rs-580-million-transport-hub-for-kandy-238786.html
By L.B. Senaratne
With the establishment of the Strategic Cities Development Plan coming under Minister Champika Ranawaka, plans have now been drawn to commence a ‘Transport Hub’, embracing both the ‘Goods Shed Bus Stand’ and the Railway Terminal in Kandy, at an estimated cost of Rs 580 million (US$ 40 million).
Minister Ranawaka told the media that the terminal will be like an Airport Terminal, where everything a passenger needs would be met, be it road or railway transport.
Work is scheduled to commence in January 2018.
The Minister made a formal request to the media against highlighting opposition to the inevitable, temporary displacement of business establishments and houses, that would take place. This, he asked for the future good of this ancient capital and Heritage City.
The Minister categorically stated the road running parallel to the Sri Dalada Maligawa would not be opened, as this small stretch would not make much of a difference to ease traffic congestion, which should be an overall policy, not a patch-up job.
Kandy lies in a valley, and its biggest problem is transport and its congestion. While places such as Kurunegala has developed its bus terminal over the years, Kandy’s City representatives have only been ‘talking’ of Transport problems and ad hoc solutions.
Previously, the late General Anuruddha Ratwatte tried implementing a Transport system without a formal plan, and the first thing he did was to pull down the Boy Scouts Headquarters, as the launch of a Transport plan. Today, that space is used as a temporary bus shelter. The Scouts were given land at Pallekelle.
The plan was to connect the ‘Goods Shed’ bus terminal to the Railway Terminal, by an overhead bridge. He built shops for traders and also planned to have a terminal with an overhead car park connecting Peradeniya Road. All the plans remained as such, ‘stuck in the traffic’.
Kandy is to be developed under the Strategic Cities Development Plan.
- http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170430/news/rs-580-million-transport-hub-for-kandy-238786.html
Offer by Railways sidetracked; China gets huge signal contract
The Transport Ministry is set to award a US$ 15mn (Rs 2.2 billion) project to China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CNMIEC) to install signals at four stations on the new Matara-Beliatta line when the Railways Department’s own engineers offered to do the job for Rs 250 million.
No tenders were called. The basis for placing the project cost at US$15mn is not known. CNMIEC is the same company that was given the contract (as an unsolicited proposal) for extending the railway line from Matara to Beliatta.
It has now fallen so far behind schedule to complete the track that the Transport Ministry will grant it a second extension of the completion deadline to September 2017.
Work was due to have been finished by July 2016. But it is learnt that nearly 15 percent of the contract is yet to be fulfilled. This includes the building of stations. The cost of the 28km extension — financed through a loan from China Exim Bank — is US$ 280mn.
Multiple official sources confirmed to the Sunday Times that the Railway Department’s signals and telecommunications branch had offered — in writing — to install signals on the
new line for a fraction of the amount the Ministry now intends to spend. The Department recently installed signals at the Narahenpita railway station on the Kelani Valley line. Railway engineers replaced the old system with a modern user-friendly one and expect to do the same for all railway stations up to Kottawa by the end of the year.
The signals branch’s proposal was circulated among relevant officials. It was even briefly accepted by the ministry last year. But when a Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) report was sought to take it further, the initiative died a natural death.
Then, on April 12 this year, Transport Ministry Secretary Nihal Somaweera wrote to CNMIEC’s Project Director, instructing him to start work on the installation of signalling, telecommunication and level crossing protection systems on the Matara-Beliatta section.
“SCAPC [Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee] decided to award the above contract to you and the Cabinet approval shall be obtained,” he wrote, in a letter seen by the Sunday Times. “You are kindly requested to commence the preliminary work with the pending approval of the Cabinet of Ministers regarding the above contract.”
Initiatives of this nature — at a cost as high as Rs 2.2 billion — cannot be implemented without Cabinet approval being granted first. Mr Somaweera told the Sunday Times there “may have been an omission” in the letter. He claimed that Cabinet sanctioned the project as far back as last year. He did not offer documentary evidence.
The project was given to CNMIEC because there was a provisional sum of US$ 15mn within its existing contract for the extension of the railway line. “As the client, we can order work at any time under the provisional sum,” Mr Somaweera said. “Since we have no money, the Ministry decided to use this for the signalling component. It is not a separate contract. We got a quotation from them. How can we go for a tender if we don’t have money?”
A provisional sum is “an allowance usually estimated by the cost consultant and is inserted into tender documents for a specific element of the work that is not yet defined in enough detail for tenderers to price.” Mr Somaweera confirmed that a Cabinet memorandum has been submitted in this regard “for their information”.
“The track extension was given without signalling,” he continued. “How can we operate the railways without signalling? We have to pay back the loan but without operation we cannot get income. So we decided to give this out. In this way, we don’t have to ask for additional funds. We can use existing provisions.”
“It may be true that there is a provisional sum,” said a senior official who did not wish to be quoted. “You can use this contingency, but not for useful, wasteful projects. We are talking about just four stations.” Questions have also been raised about CNMIEC’s competence to carry out a signalling project. It has mostly implemented civil contracts. Mr Somaweera said the company would form a joint venture with a signalling firm.
Asked how it was decided that the project cost should be US$ 15mn, Mr Somaweera said the Ministry negotiated on the basis of estimates made by the relevant TEC. “It is the responsibility of Technical Evaluation Committee to find out the exact cost and report the estimate to us,” he said. “Our decision, as administrators, was based on their recommendation.” He said the head of the TEC — J.I.D. Jayasundara, Chief Engineer Signals and Telecommunications of the Railways
Department — was answerable.
The Sunday Times found, however, that Mr Jayasundara did not head the TEC that evaluated the project. He was sidelined in favour of Palitha Samarasinghe, an Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and former Chief Engineer Signals and Telecommunications. Mr Jayasundara was not even included as a member of the TEC.
Mr Somaweera also said it was not possible to compare the installation of signals at Narahenpita to the requirements of the Matara-Beliatta track because the former had only been an upgrade. “They made some improvements to the existing system at Narahenpita,” he maintained. “They did not set up a fully-equipped signalling system. So the scope is different.”
This claim was found to be untrue. The signals at Narenpita were a new system designed by engineers and met all requirements. The Signals and Telecommunications Department also hopes to put in cables to replace tablets in future.
- http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170430/ne...d-china-gets-huge-signal-contract-238894.html
The Transport Ministry is set to award a US$ 15mn (Rs 2.2 billion) project to China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CNMIEC) to install signals at four stations on the new Matara-Beliatta line when the Railways Department’s own engineers offered to do the job for Rs 250 million.
No tenders were called. The basis for placing the project cost at US$15mn is not known. CNMIEC is the same company that was given the contract (as an unsolicited proposal) for extending the railway line from Matara to Beliatta.
It has now fallen so far behind schedule to complete the track that the Transport Ministry will grant it a second extension of the completion deadline to September 2017.
Work was due to have been finished by July 2016. But it is learnt that nearly 15 percent of the contract is yet to be fulfilled. This includes the building of stations. The cost of the 28km extension — financed through a loan from China Exim Bank — is US$ 280mn.
Multiple official sources confirmed to the Sunday Times that the Railway Department’s signals and telecommunications branch had offered — in writing — to install signals on the
new line for a fraction of the amount the Ministry now intends to spend. The Department recently installed signals at the Narahenpita railway station on the Kelani Valley line. Railway engineers replaced the old system with a modern user-friendly one and expect to do the same for all railway stations up to Kottawa by the end of the year.
The signals branch’s proposal was circulated among relevant officials. It was even briefly accepted by the ministry last year. But when a Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) report was sought to take it further, the initiative died a natural death.
Then, on April 12 this year, Transport Ministry Secretary Nihal Somaweera wrote to CNMIEC’s Project Director, instructing him to start work on the installation of signalling, telecommunication and level crossing protection systems on the Matara-Beliatta section.
“SCAPC [Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee] decided to award the above contract to you and the Cabinet approval shall be obtained,” he wrote, in a letter seen by the Sunday Times. “You are kindly requested to commence the preliminary work with the pending approval of the Cabinet of Ministers regarding the above contract.”
Initiatives of this nature — at a cost as high as Rs 2.2 billion — cannot be implemented without Cabinet approval being granted first. Mr Somaweera told the Sunday Times there “may have been an omission” in the letter. He claimed that Cabinet sanctioned the project as far back as last year. He did not offer documentary evidence.
The project was given to CNMIEC because there was a provisional sum of US$ 15mn within its existing contract for the extension of the railway line. “As the client, we can order work at any time under the provisional sum,” Mr Somaweera said. “Since we have no money, the Ministry decided to use this for the signalling component. It is not a separate contract. We got a quotation from them. How can we go for a tender if we don’t have money?”
A provisional sum is “an allowance usually estimated by the cost consultant and is inserted into tender documents for a specific element of the work that is not yet defined in enough detail for tenderers to price.” Mr Somaweera confirmed that a Cabinet memorandum has been submitted in this regard “for their information”.
“The track extension was given without signalling,” he continued. “How can we operate the railways without signalling? We have to pay back the loan but without operation we cannot get income. So we decided to give this out. In this way, we don’t have to ask for additional funds. We can use existing provisions.”
“It may be true that there is a provisional sum,” said a senior official who did not wish to be quoted. “You can use this contingency, but not for useful, wasteful projects. We are talking about just four stations.” Questions have also been raised about CNMIEC’s competence to carry out a signalling project. It has mostly implemented civil contracts. Mr Somaweera said the company would form a joint venture with a signalling firm.
Asked how it was decided that the project cost should be US$ 15mn, Mr Somaweera said the Ministry negotiated on the basis of estimates made by the relevant TEC. “It is the responsibility of Technical Evaluation Committee to find out the exact cost and report the estimate to us,” he said. “Our decision, as administrators, was based on their recommendation.” He said the head of the TEC — J.I.D. Jayasundara, Chief Engineer Signals and Telecommunications of the Railways
Department — was answerable.
The Sunday Times found, however, that Mr Jayasundara did not head the TEC that evaluated the project. He was sidelined in favour of Palitha Samarasinghe, an Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Transport and former Chief Engineer Signals and Telecommunications. Mr Jayasundara was not even included as a member of the TEC.
Mr Somaweera also said it was not possible to compare the installation of signals at Narahenpita to the requirements of the Matara-Beliatta track because the former had only been an upgrade. “They made some improvements to the existing system at Narahenpita,” he maintained. “They did not set up a fully-equipped signalling system. So the scope is different.”
This claim was found to be untrue. The signals at Narenpita were a new system designed by engineers and met all requirements. The Signals and Telecommunications Department also hopes to put in cables to replace tablets in future.
- http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170430/ne...d-china-gets-huge-signal-contract-238894.html
8 Bids for 300 MW multi-fuel power plant at Kerawalapitiya: CEB
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has received eight bids to set up a 300 MegaWatt (MW) multi-fuel combined cycle power plant at Kerawalapitiya.
Bids were invited by the CEB after 12 years, for the Build, Own, Operate & Transfer (BOOT) project. The technical proposals were opened when the deadline for submissions expired on April 21. “There are a few good bids from reputed firms, including Lanka Transformers Ltd, which is a CEB subsidiary,” said a senior Engineer. “It is a competition and we are happy.”
The plant will be operated through a private power purchase agreement. It will run on diesel for three years and on natural gas for the next 17 years. “How the tender is handled will determine market confidence in other public-private partnerships to come,” said a sector expert.
The process was not without hitches. The initial Request for Proposals (RFP) was so poorly designed that a large number of addenda and annexures were added on at least three separate occasions, after the calling of bids. This led to the extension of the deadline for submission of proposals. In a departure from usual government practice and, in an effort to introduce transparency into the tender process, all relevant documents–including the RFP and addenda–have been published on the CEB website.
“Financial bids will be invited from the parties shortlisted by the Technical Evaluation Committee,” the Engineer said. The successful company will establish a single-purpose project company in which the Government of Sri Lanka will hold a golden share. At the end of the 20-year period, the company will transfer ownership of the facility to the CEB.
The financing of the plant will be through a mixture of equity and debt, and will be the sole responsibility of the company. The site is at Kerawalapitiya in the Gampaha district where the CEB owns a 13-hectare property within a new industrial development reclaimed from the Muthurajawela swamp.
“The private sector has been and is expected to continue to play an increasing role in Power sector development activities,” the RFP says. At present, four Independent Power Producers (IPPs) are generating Electrical power to the CEB’s national grid. These are Asia Power (Pvt.) Ltd, Sojitz Kelanitissa (Pvt.) Ltd, West Coast (Pvt) Ltd, and Northern Power. Further generation licences have been issued to a number of small Power producers.
The Agreements between CEB and Lakdhanavi (Pvt) Ltd, ACE Power Generation Matara (Pvt) Ltd, ACE Power Generation Anuradhapura (Pvt) Ltd, Heladhanavi (Pvt) Ltd, and ACE Power Generation Embilipitiya (Pvt) Ltd have automatically ended at the expiry of their periods.
- http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170430/ne...power-plant-at-kerawalapitiya-ceb-238797.html
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has received eight bids to set up a 300 MegaWatt (MW) multi-fuel combined cycle power plant at Kerawalapitiya.
Bids were invited by the CEB after 12 years, for the Build, Own, Operate & Transfer (BOOT) project. The technical proposals were opened when the deadline for submissions expired on April 21. “There are a few good bids from reputed firms, including Lanka Transformers Ltd, which is a CEB subsidiary,” said a senior Engineer. “It is a competition and we are happy.”
The plant will be operated through a private power purchase agreement. It will run on diesel for three years and on natural gas for the next 17 years. “How the tender is handled will determine market confidence in other public-private partnerships to come,” said a sector expert.
The process was not without hitches. The initial Request for Proposals (RFP) was so poorly designed that a large number of addenda and annexures were added on at least three separate occasions, after the calling of bids. This led to the extension of the deadline for submission of proposals. In a departure from usual government practice and, in an effort to introduce transparency into the tender process, all relevant documents–including the RFP and addenda–have been published on the CEB website.
“Financial bids will be invited from the parties shortlisted by the Technical Evaluation Committee,” the Engineer said. The successful company will establish a single-purpose project company in which the Government of Sri Lanka will hold a golden share. At the end of the 20-year period, the company will transfer ownership of the facility to the CEB.
The financing of the plant will be through a mixture of equity and debt, and will be the sole responsibility of the company. The site is at Kerawalapitiya in the Gampaha district where the CEB owns a 13-hectare property within a new industrial development reclaimed from the Muthurajawela swamp.
“The private sector has been and is expected to continue to play an increasing role in Power sector development activities,” the RFP says. At present, four Independent Power Producers (IPPs) are generating Electrical power to the CEB’s national grid. These are Asia Power (Pvt.) Ltd, Sojitz Kelanitissa (Pvt.) Ltd, West Coast (Pvt) Ltd, and Northern Power. Further generation licences have been issued to a number of small Power producers.
The Agreements between CEB and Lakdhanavi (Pvt) Ltd, ACE Power Generation Matara (Pvt) Ltd, ACE Power Generation Anuradhapura (Pvt) Ltd, Heladhanavi (Pvt) Ltd, and ACE Power Generation Embilipitiya (Pvt) Ltd have automatically ended at the expiry of their periods.
- http://www.sundaytimes.lk/170430/ne...power-plant-at-kerawalapitiya-ceb-238797.html
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