August 01, Colombo (LNW): President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed U.D. Chandana Jayalal as the new Chairman of the Central Environment Authority (CEA), effective from 30th July.
The removal of the previous Chairman, Venura Fernando, was not explained, according to CEA unions.
The appointment was confirmed in a letter from the Secretary to the President, Saman Ekanayake, which was also sent to the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment and the Director General of the CEA.
Five trade unions within the CEA have expressed strong opposition to Fernando’s removal, praising his integrity and noting that he did not claim his salary.
The unions questioned the timing of the removal amidst an ongoing election and reported the matter to the Election Commission and the independent monitoring body PAFFREL.
A union spokesperson mentioned a planned special discussion due to the disheartenment among CEA employees.
Election Commission Chairman R.A.M.L. Rathnayake stated that appointments and transfers for service requirements or disciplinary action are permitted during an election period, but concerns of political motives can be reported to the commission.
Sources in the Ministry of Environment indicated an ongoing audit query concerning a recent CEA board decision to increase staff salaries by Rs. 10,000.
