Author: TELO Admin

The Election Commission (EC) will issue the gazette notification calling nominations to elect 8,327 members for 24 Municipal Councils, 41 Urban Councils and 276 Pradeshiya Sabhas within 5 working days of the final week of December, its Commissioner General S.G. Punchihewa said today.

“The Election Commission after a lengthy discussion last week decided to call nominations for Local Government polls between 26th – 30th of December this year,” Mr. Punchihewa told Daily Mirror yesterday.

Nominations will be accepted for local government polls in mid-January and election will be held in late-February 2023 according to the provisions of the Local Government Bodies Election Ordinance 2017.

The section 26 of the ordinance says that the Local Government polls have to be held between five weeks to seven weeks after the close of tendering of nominations.

The nominations will be accepted by district returning officers from registered political parties and independent groups on the 14th day of notice of nominations until 12.00 noon of the following day.

Asked whether LG polls would be monitored by the foreign observers, Mr. Punchihewa said no request has been forwarded to the EC up to now for permission to invite foreign election observers from the PAFFREL or any other local election monitoring NGO but added if and when such request is made, the EC would consider it positively.

Meanwhile, dismissing speculations about the government’s covert attempts to postpone LG polls, Chief Opposition Whip and senior vice president of the main opposition Samagi Jan Balawegaya (SJB) Mr. Lakshman Kiriella said even the Executive President has no power to postpone elections.

Only way to delay or postpone the LG polls is to obtain a Supreme Court order to that effect or pass a Local Government Authorities Election Ordinance afresh replacing the current ordinance passed in 2017.

“The Supreme Court has in many instances ruled that the government or the EC have no right to delay or postpone the polls and violate the fundamental rights of the people,” Mr. Kiriella stressed.

The 2022 electoral register that has just been completed by the EC will be used for the upcoming local government polls. The total number of registered voters eligible to vote are 166,92,398.

The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has decided to permanently revoke the money-changing permit issued to Prasanna Money Exchange (Pvt) Ltd located in Wellawatte.

Issuing a statement, the CBSL stated that the decision was taken after conducting an inquiry into the non-compliances committed by the money-exchange company following the temporary suspension of its permit earlier this year.

Full statement:

After conducting an inquiry into the non-compliances committed by Prasanna Money Exchange (Pvt) Ltd upon the temporary suspension of the permit issued to the company to engage in the money-changing business at its head office and branch located at No. 42A, Mudalige Mawatha, Colombo 01 and No. 57, Galle Road, Colombo 06, respectively, the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka decided to permanently revoke the permit No. DFE/RD/0058 issued to Prasanna Money Exchange (Pvt) Ltd, in terms of section 11 (3) of the Foreign Exchange Act No. 12 of 2017 (the Act).

The public is hereby informed that Prasanna Money Exchange (Pvt) Ltd is no longer permitted to engage in money-changing activities as an Authorized Money Changer and buying, selling and exchanging foreign currency with Prasanna Money Exchange (Pvt) Ltd is considered a contravention of the provisions of the Act.

Direct flights between Jaffna and Chennai have resumed after a lapse of three years.

The first flight from Chennai since 2019 arrived this morning at the Jaffna International Airport.

The first flight will landed at the Jaffna International Airport from Chennai at 10.50am.

The Alliance Air flight was scheduled depart for Chennai at 11.50am.Four flights will operate between Chennai and Jaffna weekly.

Meanwhile, according to inquiries made by NewsRadio, a one-way flight from Jaffna to Chennai will cost approximately Rs.41,800.

The Palaly Airport was redeveloped and named the Jaffna International Airport in October 2019 by the then Good Governance Government.

The first international flight to land there was from Chennai.

India’s Alliance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, operated three weekly flights from Chennai to Jaffna.

However, after the appointment of a new government in November 2019, flight operations were halted.

The new administration however has taken steps to resume flight at the Jaffna International Airport.

The runway is expected to be redeveloped to accommodate mush larger aircrafts in future.

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today recalled the role played by India to restore a temple in Mannar.

He said that India restored the Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar which was closed for 12 years.

“Even in Sri Lanka, we restored the Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar. This temple was closed for 12 years. So the fact that we took interest, made efforts, has made it possible for the revival of that temple,” he said.

He expressed these views while addressing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam on the subject ‘contribution of temples in society and nation building’ held in Varanasi.

Thiruketheeswaram Temple, one of the five sacred Ishwarams dedicated to Lord Shiva, is venerated by Shaivites throughout the subcontinent and the temple was testimony to the most difficult period in the history of Sri Lanka as it was closed for 12 years during the armed conflict and reopened in 2002.

Addressing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam Jaishankar said, “There are temples not only in India, not only in the Indian subcontinent, but in many regions beyond.”