State Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Premalal Jayasekara has accused the Minister of Ports Nimal Siripala de Silva of obstructing him from carrying out his duties.
Speaking to the media yesterday (Aug. 22), State Minister Jayasekara said it was essential for the minister to obtain the assistance of the state minister to carry out affairs of the ministry.
“We brought in several investors and as we were trying to commence operations we had to face several obstructions. This is so as ministry officials only work to the orders of the minister and disregard the state minister,” he said.
State Minister Jayasekara revealed that a group of elderly employees at the ministry is operating in such a manner.
The State Minister further alleged that the Ministry has leased 13 acres within the Colombo Port to China’s CM Port to construct South Asia’s biggest logistic centre, without calling for tenders, procurement or government evaluation of the land.
Claiming that the land given to CM Port, which runs the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), is undervalued, the State Minster alleged that the transaction was facilitated by a Chinese business figure, who secured the land at a seemingly low cost to construct the mega logistic centre.
Revealing that several interested investors have turned their backs on Sri Lanka, the state minister said this was due to facing various intimidations while attempting to set up their business.
Accusing the ministry officials of attempting to obtain a commission from investors, State Minister Jayasekara questioned why the ministry’s higher officials were obstructing his duties as the state minister.
State Minister Jayasekara called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe to intervene and resolve the issues, adding that he would rather resign than waste state money by remaining in his ministerial position. (NewsWire)