Rs. 3007m for Hambantota Port project missing

Rs. 3007m for Hambantota Port project missing

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority has issued a cheque amounting to five times of the estimated compensation for the land acquired for the Hambantota Port development project, 'Ravaya' says.

The cheque, number 250749, for Rs. 3,007 million, was issued on April 10th 2008 for land compensation.

The cheque, which is under the voucher number EG/00/113, has been credited to the management of the Hambantota People's Bank.

On contacting the manager of the Hambantota People’s Bank, Krishani Wijesekera, ‘Ravaya’ was directed to seek information from the Bank of Ceylon or from the SLPA as the bank has not received such a cheque.

However, she admitted that the bank received a cheque amounting to Rs. 2305,650 with the serial number 250889 on April 11th 2008 as land compensation.

The bank also received another cheque amounting to Rs. 10 m in early May for the same purpose, she added.

Noting that the government had began paying land compensation for the project since last June, Ms. Wijesekera said that the SLPA sends the cheques with the list of recipients.

According to the Hambantota Divisional Secretary Ganesha Amarasinghe, the estimated compensation for 449 plots of land was Rs. 575m.

Except for 50 plots of land, all compensations have been paid, he added.

Even the office of the project’s chief engineer said that the compensation added up to nearly Rs. 600m and an amount of Rs. 375m has already been paid.

Ravaya's attempts to contact the Managing Director of the SLPA to inquire as why such a huge cheque was issued to pay a much smaller amount and why it had not reached the Hambantota People's Bank branch failed, and the newspaper was told that he has gone overseas.

Meanwhile, SLPA Finance Director Shirani Wanniarachchi refused to comment on the matter.

Source (http://lankadissent.com/allnews/2008_05_24_01_news.htm)