A sudden fire broke out today (10 Feb) at a helmet manufacturing factory in Paragahadenia, Kurunegala.

Reports state that the factory was completely destroyed by the blaze.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. (Newswire)

A sudden fire erupted at a helmet manufacturing factory in Paragahadeniya, Kurunegala earlier today. Firefighters are working to bring the situation under control.

More footage from the scene pic.twitter.com/V5z1ngIoBJ

— NewsWire (@NewsWireLK) February 10, 2026

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The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has paid tribute to 41-year-old Anuruddha Kumara, a line technician who lost his life on Wednesday while restoring power in the Kurunegala area.

Kumara, who began his career in 2007 as a temporary linesman in Dambulla, became a permanent employee of the CEB in 2017 after serving for a decade. He was later transferred to the Ukuwela substation and most recently served at the Hettipola Power Station. According to the CEB, he had been performing his duties as a line technician with distinction since his appointment.

He sustained critical injuries at around 12.45 pm yesterday while working to repair a damaged low-voltage line along the Bowatta–Weerapokuna route, where he reportedly received an electric shock during restoration work.

He was rushed first to the Weerapokuna Base Hospital and then transferred to the Kuliyapitiya Teaching Hospital. Medical teams at both hospitals made extensive efforts to save him, but he passed away approximately an hour after admission.

The CEB expressed condolences to his family, saluted his service during a national emergency, and said it will extend all support to the family of the deceased worker. (Newswire)

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The One-Day National Identity Card (NIC) Issuance Service was officially launched in the North Western Province yesterday, at the Department for Registration of Persons provincial office in Kurunegala.

The service was launched under the patronage of Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eranga Weeraratne, marking a significant step forward in improving public convenience. 

Currently, provincial offices are operational in Galle, Nuwara Eliya, Batticaloa, and Vavuniya, with the one-day NIC issuance service already functioning successfully at the Galle and Nuwara Eliya offices.

With the launch of this new service, residents of the North Western Province will no longer need to travel to the Department’s Head Office in Colombo to obtain their National Identity Cards. Instead, they will now have the facility to receive the service within just a few hours at the Kurunegala Provincial Office.

The investment funds and technical support for this initiative are provided by the Electronic National Identity Card Project, and similar offices are planned to be opened in other provinces in the near future.

This new initiative further strengthens the government’s commitment to delivering fast, reliable, and technologically advanced public services to the citizens of Sri Lanka.

The Department for Registration of Persons is the sole government institution vested with constitutional authority to verify personal identity. It has recently implemented a series of organizational and technological reforms to provide the public with faster and more efficient services.

Under a Cabinet-approved proposal empowering the Electronic National Identity Card (eNIC) Project, the Department has begun decentralizing its services by establishing new provincial offices, enabling people to access services closer to their homes. (Newswire)

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Public Health Inspectors (PHI) have taken action against persons chewing and spitting betel leaves in Kurunegala. 

Accordingly, the PHI arrested 07 persons at the Kurunegala bus depot last week (26).

The arrested persons will be produced in court on Friday, 01 August 2025. (Newswire)

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A resident of Kurunegala was awarded the grand super prize of the National Lotteries Board, exceeding Rs. 470 million, the largest-ever lottery jackpot in Sri Lanka. 

The cash cheque was handed over at the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) premises to Mr. Mayadunna from the Kurunegala District on Thursday (17).

It was handed over under the patronage of Colombo Mayoress Vraie Cally Balthazaar, with the participation of Deputy Mayor Hemantha Weerakoon, Chairman of the National Lotteries Board M.D.C.A. Perera, and General Manager A.M. Arif. (Newswire)

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The National Transport Commission has temporarily suspended the driver and conductor of a bus after a student fell off the footboard in Kurunegala.

The incident had been caught on the dashcam of the vehicle of the child’s father, who had dropped off the child at the bus stop moments ago. However, the child had not sustained any serious injuries in the incident. 

Issuing a statement on the incident, the Transport Ministry said the bus was used as a school transport service and had been authorised by the North Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority to operate from Metibokka to Sir John Kothalawala College in Kurunegala. 

The ministry further said inquiries conducted by NTC officials with the child’s father and the bus owner have revealed that the incident had occurred due to the negligence of the driver and conductor.

As such, based on the directive of the NTC, the North Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority has taken steps to temporarily suspend the driver and conductor from their duties. 

The Transport Ministry further said that a probe into the incident will be conducted today. 

The ministry also stated that on the orders of the Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake, measures have been taken to assign a new driver and conductor to the bus to ensure uninterrupted service. (Newswire)

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A fire broke out this afternoon (03) at a private sticker manufacturing facility in the Vaduragala area in Kurunegala, according to reporters.

The Kurunegala Municipal Council Fire Brigade was called in and successfully brought the blaze under control.

The facility is reportedly involved in the installation of vehicle body stickers and accessories. It is said that the fire spread rapidly within the premises.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. (Newswire)

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A distressing incident has been reported from Kurunegala where a schoolboy fell off the footboard of a private bus while it was in motion.

The shocking footage was recorded by the dashboard camera of a car driven by the child’s father, who had just dropped the boy off at the bus stop moments earlier. (Newswire)

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Cabinet approval has been granted to resume the acquisition and suspended activities related to the construction of the Kurunegala to Dambulla stretch of the Central Expressway (Phase IV). 

The government says approval was granted at the Cabinet meeting held in March 2023 to make the payment of the remaining compensation for the plots of land acquired for Phase IV of the Central Expressway Project and divestment of the plots of land for which compensation has not been paid in terms of the Land Acquisition Act. 

The physical progress of Phase IV of the Central Expressway Project is at 73.2%. 

As such, it has been identified that the completion of Phase IV is essential to meet the requirement for a quantitative and qualitative road system to access the Northern, North Central, Eastern and Central provinces, and to achieve the full expected benefits of the entire Central Expressway. 

Accordingly, the Cabinet has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Transport and Highways to resume the acquisition and suspended activities for the construction of the relevant stretch from Kurunegala – Dambulla. (Newswire)

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A garbage collection truck in Kurunegala has caught the attention of the public due to its unique decorations. 

The truck, belonging to the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha, is seen adorned with various soft toys. 

The driver of the truck says the public tends to look twice at the garbage truck and usually tends to smile due to its uniqueness. 

“This truck is decorated using toys and items discarded by the public. The vehicle is cleaned after every ride to collect garbage. The public who usually turn away from garbage trucks, now look and smile at our vehicle,” he added. (Newswire)

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Four persons were reported dead and another four were injured in an explosion reported at a fuel station in Wehera, Kurunegala, last night. 

According to the Police, the fuel tank of a lorry had exploded while refilling fuel at the said fuel station, igniting a fire.

The fire had been doused by officials from the Kurunegala Police with the assistance of the Kurunegala Municipal Council fire brigade. 

The injured persons have been admitted to the Kurunegala Hospital. The identities of the deceased persons are yet to be ascertained. 

The Kurunegala Police is conducting further investigations. (Newswire)

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The National Peoples’ Power (NPP) has won twelve (12) seats in the Kurunegala District under the Preferential voting system.

The preferential votes for the Kurunegala District are as follows;

NPP – 12 seats

Namal Karunaratne 356,969

Ananda Wijepala 133,142

Sujeewa Indika 109,979

B.M. Wijesiri 86,218

Geetha Rathnakumari 84,414

Namal Sudarshana 83,418

Nishantha Jagath Kumara 81,864, Ashoka Gunasena 72,216

G.D. Suriyabandara 72,198

Chandana Mihira 70,038

Dharmapriya Dissanayake 68,580, Mohamed Asim 67,346 (Newswire)

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The Court of Appeal has ordered a reduction in the sentence of the former Mayor of the Kurunegala Municipal Council Thushara Sanjeewa for demolishing a historical monument for a road development project.

The court has imposed a revised ruling of a one-year prison term on Sanjeewa and other accused suspects who were previously convicted over the unlawful demolition of the historic ‘Bhuvanekaba Raja Sabha’ in Kurunegala. 

In December 2023, Thushara Sanjeewa was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment for demolishing the 13th Century King’s Court of King Bhuvanaikabahu II, dating back to the Kurunegala / Yapahuwa Kingdom Era.

The Kurunegala High Court sentenced the former Mayor of the Kurunegala Municipal Council along with four others.

Thushara Sanjeewa together with officials from the Urban Development Authority (UDA) demolished the building in July 2020 for a road development project. (NewsWire)

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The Kurunegala District Deputy Inspector General’s Office has warned of a financial scam targeting personal bank account details using the Tax Identification Number (TIN) recently introduced by Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Department. 

According to the Kurunegala District DIG’s Office, scammers are posing as bank officers and obtaining bank details of individuals using the TIN number programme.

It has been revealed that the Police have received details of several individuals who have lost large sums of money through the financial scam.

Scammers who call as staff members of a state bank and inform about how to maintain an account in the bank concerning the TIN number, then ask for the One-time passwords (OTP) of the bank customer who needs to set up the account. Not knowing that they are caught by a fraudster, some people have given OTP to them without further investigation. 

It has been revealed that the fraudulent gang that obtains the OTP has entered the bank account of the person they contacted and taken large sums of money, Kurunegala District DIG’s Office said. 

It is reported that in the recent past, over Rs. 200,000 had been stolen from the bank account of a Buddhist monk from Kurunegala, while Rs. 1 million had been stolen from another individual. 

The Kurunegala District DIG’s Office requested the public not to fall victim to such scams and it has launched a special programme in Kurunegala to warn the public in this regard. (NewsWire)

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Former Mayor of the Kurunegala Municipal Council Thushara Sanjeewa has been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment.

Thushara Sanjeewa has been sentenced for demolishing the 13th Century King’s Court of King Bhuvanaikabahu II, dating back to the Kurunegala / Yapahuwa Kingdom Era, for a road development project.

The Kurunegala High Court today (Dec 14) sentenced the Former Mayor of the Kurunegala Municipal Council along with four others.

The former Mayor of Kurunegala together with officials from the Urban Development Authority (UDA) demolished the building in July 2020 for a road development project.

The Department of Archaeology had filed a complaint with the Kurunegala Police at the time, claiming that Thushara Sanjeewa had demolished a 13th-century King’s Court that was under its supervision. (NewsWire)

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A 19-year-old school student, whose organs were donated after dying due to a sudden illness in March this year, is reported to have obtained distinction passes in the 2022 GCE Advanced Level Examinations.

According to media reports, as per the recently released results of the 2022 GCE Advanced Level Examinations, the girl had obtained 3 A passes in the Commerce Stream.

She is ranked 176 in the Kurunegala District and 2256 in the islandwide rankings. 

The girl, a resident of Kurunegala, had suddenly fallen ill and died, after which her organs had been donated to seven persons. 

Her heart and lungs had been transplanted to one patient, while her two kidneys had been provided to two other patients.

The liver and eye membranes taken from her have been given to three other people. (NewsWire)

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A two-day mobile Motor Traffic Service will be conducted covering Kurunegala Town over the weekend.

The mobile Motor Traffic Service will be conducted at Sir John Kothalawala College on Saturday (Aug 12) and Sunday (Aug 13) from 08.30 am to 05.30 pm.

It will be conducted together by the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT), the North Western Province DMT Office, and the Kurunegala District Divisional Secretariat.

Several services are to be offered during the planned mobile Motor Traffic Service. (NewsWire)

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The recent incident of child abuse reported in Kurunegala resulting in a tense situation had been caused by a fake statement, Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa stated. 

He stated that a tense situation had been reported in the Yanthampola area in Kurunegala after a 14-year-old child suffering from mental illness was said to have been sexually molested at a private leasing firm in the area.

SSP Thalduwa said that investigations have revealed that the 14-year-old child is a resident of Kattankudy and was undergoing medical treatment during which time he had travelled to Kurunegala unknown to his parents and guardian.

The teenager is reported to have visited the leasing firm under the pretext of purchasing a motorcycle and as the firm had refused the sale he had ventured outside and claimed that he had been subjected to sexual abuse inside the firm.

A tense situation had arisen thereafter with the public gathering outside the firm, while the Police had been deployed to contain the situation.

SSP Nihal Thalduwa said investigations have revealed that the claim of sexual abuse was fake and that CCTV footage has revealed no such incident had taken place. 

He further said the child has been admitted to the hospital while a medical examination will be conducted to verify the claim of sexual abuse. 

The Police Spokesman added that information being spread on social media related to this incident is false. (NewsWire)

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Former Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa Vitharanage has been found guilty of 11 charges out of 18 allegations levelled against him.

He was found guilty by the Commission appointed by North Western Province Governor Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda into allegations against Thushara Sanjeewa during his tenure as the Mayor of Kurunegala.

According to Mawbima, the Committee has ruled that Thushara Sanjeewa Vitharanage must be removed from his post as Mayor of Kurunegala with effect from 31st December 2022. 

As per the Commission’s instructions, North Western Province Governor Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda issued a Gazette notification this week (08) announcing the decision. 

In December 2022, a commission headed by former High Court Judge Lalith Ekanayake commenced investigations into the allegations levelled against Thushara Sanjeewa Vitharanage. (NewsWire)

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A 33-year-old man has been arrested for stealing over Rs. 10 Million from an ATM machine belonging to a State Bank in Kurunegala, the Police stated.

According to the Police, the suspect had stolen money from the ATM machine under the guise of carrying out maintenance work. 

The suspect had carried out the robbery at an ATM machine located near Gettuwana Junction in Kurunegala on 2nd February. 

Investigations into the robbery had led to the arrest of a 33-year-old man from the Eppawala area. The Police stated that the suspect had been in hiding in the Ooruthenna area in Bingiriya following the robbery.

The Police had recovered Rs. 4.56 million in cash from the stolen money, while the suspect is reported to have purchased a bracelet and ring for Rs. 650,000, a motorcycle for Rs. 550,000, and an iPhone worth Rs. 350,000.

Further interrogations of the suspect revealed that he had previously stolen money from an ATM machine in front of the Minneriya Army camp, and had attempted to steal money from two ATM machines in the Bingiriya and Anuradhapura areas as well. (NewsWire)

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