The Governor of the Western Province Hemakumara Nanayakkara has ordered to immediately cancel the purchase of a large number of expensive chairs which were ordered for the Western Provincial Council (WPC).
The council had ordered some 144 chairs, each costing around Rs 640,000, from Belgium.
“I received a complaint from council member Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi that chairs were going to be purchased at a high cost for the chamber of Western Provincial Council,” the Governor told reporters in Colombo today (13).
He stated that based on the information observed initially, he ordered the Chief Secretary to temporarily suspend the purchase of the chairs, until further inquiries into the matter are concluded.
The chief secretary appointed four officials to prepare an inquiry report, however this report is incomplete, Nanayakkara said.
He stated that a total of 150 chairs had been ordered despite the council requiring only 104 chairs. He said that a certain individual had told him that extra chairs were ordered to prepare chair beforehand for the new members who are to enter the council in the future.
There is more than enough work to be done in the Western Province using the people’s money, he said, adding: “even today there are shanties.”
The Governor said that he will instruct the relevant officials to decide on a price for chairs manufactured in Sri Lanka.
In August, the Governor had decided to temporarily halt importing of the chairs in question, pending an inquiry, following public outcry over the move which was uncovered and exposed by members of the council.
JVP provincial councillor Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi had claimed that over 100 chairs, each costing Rs 640,000, had been ordered from abroad for the chamber of the new Western Provincial Council building in Battaramulla.
The councillor said this was revealed during a committee meeting and charged that it was absurd to spend so much money just for the chairs for councillors.
He had also written a letter to the Governor of the Western Province requesting the latter’s special intervention into this matter.
