With local councils dissolved, talks held to discuss functions in various areas

Authorities say most municipal and local council members have handed over vehicles, residences and offices

The Provincial Councils and Local Government Affairs Ministry has called for a meeting with provincial governors, district secretaries and heads of District Coordinating Committees to decide on the future functions of local councils. State Minister Janaka Wakkumbura said they were planning to hold the meeting on April 1.

“Previously the local councils operated without members. When that happened more than two and half years ago we faced various issues. To avoid that, we decided to have a meeting,” he said.

Mr. Wakkumbura said the meeting would be presided over by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, and he would focus on how local council authorities would function effectively. The councils were dissolved last Sunday.

At the moment most municipal council members have handed over their vehicles, official residences and offices to commissioners and secretaries of local councils, he said.

“We did not receive complaints of a member failing to hand over vehicles,” he said.

A senior State Ministry official said they had already notified the governors to take charge of administrative activities and keep services running smoothly.

The official said meetings were held between the governors and the Prime Minister last week, and the governors too were keeping in touch regularly.

The senior officials at provincial governors' offices said they were holding meetings to instruct municipal commissioners and local council secretaries.

Meanwhile the Western Province Governor's Secretary P. Somasiri said most local council members had given back vehicles and offices to the Government, except for one or two members.

He said the Governor had held a meeting on Monday and had given a list of instructions to commissioners and secretaries of municipal and local councils to carry out admiration activities and to continue services effectively.

Western Province Local Government Commissioner Indika Prasanna said most of the vehicles had been handed over by the Colombo MC members apart from a few who made special requests to take more time to hand the vehicles back.

He said the local council members had notified the Western Province Governor about their situation.

Mr. Prasanna said they were more lenient when it came to obtaining the official residences held by the CMC members. Therefore they had given them time to hand over their official residences after taking into consideration that moving from residence to residence took time.

Northern province local councils members had begun to hand over vehicles following the dissolution of the councils. Therefore there were meetings held between municipal commissioners and secretaries of local councils.

Northern province Governor's Secretary P. Vageshan said last week the Governor, Local Government Commissioner, other commissioners and secretaries of local council offices and he held a meeting on how the services were carried out until new members were elected for local councils.

Mr. Vageshan said the members were handing over their assets used during their term to the Northern Province Local Government Commissioner and the commissioners and secretaries of local council who were currently in charge in terms of the Local Council Act.

"Only a few have days passed since the local councils were dissolved. Therefore assets are still being handed over, and the governor had called the relevant officials to submit a report next week," he said.

Meanwhile Eastern Province Local Government Commissioner N. Manivannan said they had held meetings and instructions were given to 45 local council authorities within the province.

He said three municipal council and 42 local council members had handed over their vehicles on March 20, following the dissolution of local councils.

State officials held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss how the local councils and municipals councils would function without council members. The meeting was held at the Uva provincial council auditorium.

At the meeting the manner in which the activities were held and the legal situation were discussed. Uva province Chief Secretary P.B. Wijeyaratne, Provincial Education Secretary and acting Provincial Commissioner M. Nandasena, municipal commissioners and local council secretaries took part in the meeting.