lanka

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s ongoing private visit to Singapore preceded by his decision to prorogue parliament seemingly came to be questioned by a government MP on Tuesday (14).

MP Anura Priyadarshan Yapa, who was chairman of the Committee on Public Finance which now stands dissolved as a consequence of the prorogation of parliament, told reporters that now was not the time to be away.

“I don’t know why the president went [to Singapore]. We must all set an example. This is no time for us to take leave. This is a time to sit down with the people and listen to their grievances. It’s time for work, not for going here and there,” said Yapa.

President Rajapaksa prorogued parliament effective midnight December 12 until 10am January 18. Proroguing parliament automatically dissolves standing committees such as the one on public finance and the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), which means they would have to be reappointed when parliament reconvenes.

Related: Sri Lanka President prorogues parliament

The decision was followed by a sudden visit by the president to Singapore, reportedly for a medical check up.

Related: Sri Lanka President leaves for Singapore for check up

MP Yapa, who was a cabinet minister in the previous government but was overlooked by the present administration, was also critical of the recent spate of cooking gas explosions, to which no one has yet taken responsibility.

“To date, we don’t know what was happening with the gas cylinders. No one in the gas company will explain what happened. In any other country, the board of directors would’ve been thrown in jail. They’re acting like they know nothing,” he said.

“Such a state in the country paves the way to anarchy. There is no governance here; it’s something else here. I brought this up with the finance minister also. The way I see it, there is someone who is on the other side of the cabinet,” the MP said. (Colombo/Dec14/2021)

ECONOMYNEXT – Six incidents of cooking gas explosions and leakages were reported in Sri Lanka on Thursday (09), including a leak in a cylinder sold by Laugfs Gas PLC, as the country’s  Human Rights Commission invited stakeholders for a discussion.

The latest in a series of explosions and fires attributed to liquid petroleum (LP) gas sold by the state-owned Litro gas company were reported on Thursday in Kandy, Gampola, Alawathugoda, Ginigathhena, Ambagamuwa, Nawalpitiya and Veyangoda areas. The Gampola explosion had occurred in a food stall at a local bus stand, reports said.

Laugfs and Litro hold a duopoly in cooking gas in Sri Lanka.

A recent presidential probe concluded that substandard accessories such as hoses and regulators as well as the absence of odour were largely to blame for the explosions.

Related: Sri Lanka gas explosion probe says blame lies largely with faulty accessories

Reports also said a cylinder issued by the privately owned Laugfs gas at a private residence had also started to leak on Wednesday (08) when the homeowners had tried to use it for cooking. The cylinder had been purchased three months ago, well before the recent spate of incidents.

“The cylinder started to leak yesterday, so we switched [the cooker] off. This morning, I removed the regulator and gas started to leak from the cylinder’s valve,” a member of the household said.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has called the Consumer Affairs Authority, the Sri Lanka Standards Institute and the State Ministry of Cooperative Services, Marketing Development and Consumer Protection for a discussion regarding two complaints lodged by the Young Journalists’ Association regarding the incidents.

The Association has complained to the council that the gas companies should display on their cylinders the date of manufacture (filling) and the ingredients (a breakdown of the gases contained), similar to any other consumer good.

Human Rights Commissioner Nimal Karunasiri said the gas companies have also been invited to the discussion.

“We called this discussion to see whether the quality of the product can be assured, if not why that is, and see whether the consumer is being protected,” Karunasiri told reporters on Thursday (09).

Since the issue with gas cylinders is a matter of urgency, the HRCSL will submit a report in two weeks, he said (Colombo/Dec09/2021)

ECONOYNEXT – A committee appointed by Sri Lanka’s president to investigate a series of cooking gas explosions has found that substandard accessories such as hoses and regulators as well as the absence of odour were largely to blame.

A series of liquid petroleum (LP) gas related fires and explosions reported around the island led to a quiet panic among the populace in recent weeks. A total of 458 incidents were reported all year, according to a report by the committee that probed the matter.

The committee said in a statement on Monday (06) that the absence of a distinct odor was a major problem in the detection of gas leaks. Following discussions with all stakeholders, gas companies have agreed to increase the concentration of Ethyl Mercaptan, a gas that gives out a pungent smell, in new batches of LP gas cylinders going forward.

The statement, signed by committee chairman Prof Shantha Walpola, said there has been a significant reduction in LP gas related incidents in the country.

“It has been observed that 244 out of the total 458 incidents were complaints of leaks (as opposed to damaged cylinders, hoses, regulators, etc). Over the past few days, the public has been keen to check the condition of their gas cylinders and have reported such leaks,” Walpola said.

According to the findings, there has been only one incident where a gas cylinder sustained damages, while 178 cases of gas cookers exploding or the cookers’ glass tops cracking, possibly suggesting an unusually hot flame.

The committee urged the public to refrain from testing for gas leaks using unsafe methods.

The second cause for gas related issues the committee has found is substandard or expired equipment such regulators, gas supply pipes, hose clips and dilapidated furnaces.

“We urge all consumers who have not yet paid attention to this matter to purchase components that comply with the standards issued by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute and to purchase quality and safe gas stoves, especially from reputable and responsible agencies, ” Walpola emphasized.

The committee is also conducting studies to determine whether the issues arose due to a gas composition change as alleged by some quarters.

The committee said it studied data on gas composition and vapor pressure imported into the country during the last two years and evaluated the quality of the new system together with the Consumer Protection Authority, the Sri Lanka Standards Institute, the Industrial Technology Institute and the Sri Lanka Certification Board.

The Consumers Affairs Authority (CAA) announced that gases distributed from Monday (06) will have a new seal cover after new requirements were implemented.

An official of the state owned Litro Gas said the new red and white seal will be used to differentiate newly distributed the gas cylinders as per the CAA request.

The official said previously the color of the polythene seal would change weekly but it is not clear if this new polythene seal would be changed similarly.

On Sunday (05) CAA, allowing Litro to recommence distribution (which had been temporarily suspended) said older imported stocks were not to be released to the market, the level of odorant (ethyl mercaptan) to be increased to identify leaks and one in every 100 cylinders be inspected by the CAA.

On December 03, Sri Lanka halted the distribution of LP cylinders as scats of gas explosions rose steeply in the country.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed a committee on November 30 to probe the mystery gas blasts across the country. The committee was tasked with finding possible causes in order to provide immediate solutions to the issue, according the president’s media division.

Officials had acknowledged that the explosions are unusual, though there was some denial at first.

Litro Gas supplies to more that 80 percent of the Sri Lankan LP gas market, with the privately owned Laugfs Gas taking up the remainder. (Colombo/Dec06/2021)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed an eight-member committee to investigate recent reports of liquid petroleum (LP) gas cylinder fires and make recommendations, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said on Tuesday (30).

President Rajapaksa appointed the committee to look into a spate of incidents reported to have occurred at domestic and commercial settings such as restaurants and sales outlets in various parts of the country. The committee is tasked with finding possible causes in order to provide immediate solutions to the issue, the PMD said in a statement.

The president has instructed the committee to gather information from all stakeholders and look into existing studies and opinions expressed and to submit a report within two weeks, the PMD said.

Chaired by Prof Shantha Walpola from the University of Moratuwa, the committee comprises Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) Deshabandu Tennakoon, Prof Ajith De Alwis, University of Moratuwa, Prof W D W Jayathilaka, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Prof Pradeep Jayaweera, Prof Narayan Sirimuthu, Commissioner of the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission, Dr Sudarshana Somasiri, Additional Director General of Technical Services and Sujeewa Mahagama, Senior Deputy Director of the Sri Lanka Standards institute.

Authorities have yet to find the cause behind over 20 incidents of fire and explosions suspected to be due to gas leaks. Multiple gas linked fires were reported around the country with some blaming alleged composition changes in the cooking gas cylinders.

The government has acknowledged that the incidents of fire and explosions are unusual and has said it is looking into the matter.  (Colombo/Nov39/2021)

ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s state-run Litro Gas Lanka Ltd’s own ongoing investigations into a series of suspected explosions linked to cooking gas have revealed that substandard regulators, clip-on valves and tubes had caused the explosions, a company official said.

The latest explosion was reported in Kandegedara, Nikaweratiya, taking total explosions so far to six.

Litro Gas supplies 80 percent of the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder market in Sri Lanka.

“From our side, we are ensuring that our cylinders are safety-assured and from the consumers’ side, they have to be cautious about the appliances,” Litro Gas Lanka Ltd Director, Health Safety & Environment, Jayantha Basnayake said.

“We are doing our own investigations and we have completed a report on the cases related to Litro. Our final root cause observation is that the appliances were the reason for these incidents.”

He said only about two incidents were related to Litro.

Litro has an incident handling unit that investigates reports or complaints made by customers.

This unit also works with relevant authorities such as police and government analysts, said Basnayake.

“The cases linked Litro gas cylinders were thoroughly investigated, and the reason was other appliances,” he reiterated.

Though he ruled our foul play, Basnayake said the nature of the consecutive gas explosions seemed a “bit strange”. Litro hears of five to 10 incidents maximum per year mainly due to human negligence.

Customers who find leaks are advised to immediately allow ventilation and remove the cylinder’s regulator and put the safety clip back on the valve, after which the cylinder is to be taken outside.

Basnayake also advised not to use any electrical equipment including mobile phones or even turn on a light swift in the area when there is a leak.

He said the high-standard regulators will always have a safety feature that blocks these leaks.

However, leaks can be identified from its odour or a hissing sound.

He also said that regulators and tubes must be changed regularly: two years for tubes and five years for regulators.

Amid all this, a report of gas explosion casualty has also emerged.

The explosion had taken place on November 13 in a house in Welikanda in Polonnaruwa injuring a 19-year old married girl.

Media reports said the girl passed away on November 25.  However, officials of both Litro and competitor Laugfs Gas said they were unaware of the incident taking place at all, as every incident that took place was immediately reported to the respective company’s officials. (Colombo/Nov26/2021)

ECONOMYNEXT – A spate of fire accidents reported in Sri Lanka in recent days involving liquid petroleum (LP) cooking gas cylinders appear to be linked to gas leaks, a government official said on Thursday as worried customers awaited clear safety precautions from the authorities.

At least four gas leak explosions occurred across the country, namely in Pannipitiya, Palamadulla, Rathnapura and Kurunduwatta, Colombo, in November alone, according to police reports.

“The explosions happened due to the LP gas that leaked mixing with oxygen and other gases in the atmosphere,” Roshan Fernando, Senior Assistant Government Analyst of the Government Analyst’s Department said.

“I must inform you that the cylinders have not exploded in any of the incidents that have been reported.

“Today, we investigated an explosion that happened in Kottawa,” he said, referring to a Colombo suburb town.

“The gas in the atmosphere had ignited due to a light bulb. In that house, a metal clip that we use to secure the gas pipe to the cylinder was also not there. The gas has leaked due to that.”

A key government official at the state-run Consumers’ Affairs Authority (CAA) after his resignation recently claimed that gas companies have changed the proportions of the two gases used inside the cylinder. A widely circulated interview with the official added to consumers’ concerns.

Thushan Gunawardena, the former executive director of the CAA, said gas companies have changed the butane proportion from 70 percent to 50 percent and that could also have contributed to the explosion.

“We are investigating these incidents because these leakages are less than 1 percent of the cylinders we supply to the market per month,” W K H Wegapitiya, chairman of Laugfs Gas Plc, told EconomyNext.

However, Wegapitiya said the fires reported were not related to the cylinders but was rather an issue with the appliances use cylinders don’t explode.

“All these are due to human negligence,” he said.

Laugfs gas accounts for 20 percent of the LP gas market share in Sri Lanka.

Consumer Affairs Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said they have discussed the measures that are already in place and further measures to be taken in the future with experts.

“In the next two-three weeks we will work on issuing gazettes and regulations that need to protect consumers our country,” Minister Alagiyawana said.

“Quality assurance is mandatory in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Accreditation Board is the body that regulated the laboratories that do quality assurance in Sri Lanka.

“We have asked the Accreditation Board to register two laboratories that do quality testing when gas is imported to Sri Lanka. It is to strengthen the system and to assure the quality of the gas we import.

Previously, five gazettes had been issued in 2012 regarding the quality of the gas cylinder, regulators and other equipment,” the minister said.

LP gas leaks occur for a couple of reasons caused by a lack of knowledge by LPG consumers and improper usage, Wegapitiya said.

A composition change in the LP gas cocktail – Butane and Propane – caused the explosions after the traditionally used proportion of 70:30 was changed to 50:50, officials have said.

However, Wegapitiya said there was no logic behind the allegation of increasing propane in the cocktail because it is the more expensive of the two gases.

Domestic gas leaks often happen due to poorly fixed or fitted regulators leading to leaks and gas tubes that are not replaced in time or damaged by pests, and if the user keeps the stove on without igniting, or due to substandard appliances.

Sri Lanka does not have a gas regulatory body. Gas company officials said they have their own investigation units to conduct studies. (Colombo/Nov25/2021)

ECONOMYNEXT – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday (24) opened Sri Lanka’s first cable-stayed six-lane bridge constructed with a concessionary loan of 35,020 million yen from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JAICA).

Named the Golden Gate Kalyani, the bridge consists of six lanes from the entrance of the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway towards the Bandaranaike Roundabout and from that point onwards, the flyover will be four lanes towards Orugodawatte and the Ingurukade Junction enabling access to the elevated expressways from Ingurukade Junction to the Colombo Port City and from Orugodawatta to Athurugiriya, a statement from the president’s office said.

The project was initially planned by the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration in 2012 together with JAICA and approved by cabinet in 2014. However, construction was delayed till 2017 till housing and places of business were provided for displaced residents and public and private institutes, the statement said.

The total cost for the project is 55,000 million rupees, according to the president’s media division (PMD).

The PMD said the bridge was designed using the latest technology and with minimum impact to the surrounding environment and the biodiversity nourished by the Kelani river.

“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of infrastructure development projects have been initiated. While stating that all these activities will continue, President Rajapaksa said that all the promised projects will be completed if there are no other lockdowns in the country in the future,” the statement said.

Speaking the opening ceremony, Highways Minister Johnston Fernando blamed the previous government for the project’s delay.

“Precious lives could have been saved if the project had been implemented,” he was quoted as saying, without elaboration.

Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mizukoshi Hideaki joining the ceremony stated the ‘Golden Gate Kalyani’ is another symbol of Japan-Sri Lanka friendship and Japan will continue to provide assistance to Sri Lanka in the future.

Hideaki’s remark comes against a backdrop of President Rajapaksa ordering the termination of a Japan-funded light rail project in September 2020.

Related: Sri Lanka president orders immediate termination of Japan-funded light rail project

(Colombo/ Nov 25/2021)

නාඳුනන සෙබලුන් විසින් මියයාමට ප්‍රථම ලියාතැබූ 'රණවිරු කුරුටු ගී' ඇතුළත් ලොව පළමු කෘතිය.

13,16,17,19 ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන 2000 ව්‍යවස්ථා කෙටුම්පත හා 2016 නව ව්‍යවස්ථා යෝජනා පිළිබඳ විවරණයකි මනෝහර ආර් ද සිල්වා "මේ ග්‍රන්ථය අපේ රටේ දේශපාලනඥයන් මෙන්ම නීතිඥයන් ද අනිවාර්යයෙන්...

ධර්මසේන හිමි https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MAbSniJ2ILcS9TlLayEKf9P4FJ2Xh4vl/view?usp=sharing