Members of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) undertook a field investigation visit to the Ratmalana Railway Maintenance Yard recently (22 May), under the directives of the Committee Chair, MP Aravinda Senarath.
State Minister Sugath Thilakaratne and MPs Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, Oshani Umanga, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Thushari Jayasinghe, T.K. Jayasundara, Susantha Kumara Nawarathna, and Janaka Senarathna also participated in the visit.
According to a Parliament statement, during the COPA meeting held on 09 May on the current performance of the Department of Railways, it was disclosed that 63 railway engines and 40 power sets belonging to the department had been parked within the premises of the Main Mechanical Engineering Office and railway stations in Ratmalana for a period ranging from 1 to 8 years.
It was also observed that the machinery and workshops of the Department of Railways were underutilised. In light of these findings, Members of Parliament undertook this observational visit to further investigate the matter.
During the visit, Chief Mechanical Engineer at the Ratmalana Railway Maintenance Yard, Nishantha Perera, and Deputy Mechanical Engineer, Nilupa Ekanayake, briefed the Parliamentarians on the relevant sites and demonstrated the practical operations of the respective areas.
Following the site inspection, the Parliamentarians pointed out that a large portion of the yard was occupied by removed machinery and equipment. They also highlighted that certain machinery was not stored in environmentally appropriate conditions, and that some equipment had been purchased in excessive quantities.
The MPs stated that all findings from this observational visit would be presented to the Committee on Public Accounts as well as to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport. (Newswire)
