October 23, Colombo (LNW): The Engineering Council of Sri Lanka (ECSL) has ordered the suspension of development projects supervised by the District Coordination Committees, which are managed under the oversight of Provincial Governors, citing a violation of election laws.
The Commission’s decision comes as the Provincial Governors are political appointees, and their involvement in these projects during the election period could influence voters, thereby breaching election protocols.
The controversy began after the President’s Secretary N.S. Kumanayake issued a directive to the Public Administration Ministry, asking it to instruct District Secretaries to resume activities of the District Coordination Committees.
These Committees had become inactive following the dissolution of Parliament. The Secretary’s letter emphasised the need to complete the stalled development projects, many of which were funded through the decentralised budget allocated to MPs under the 2024 budget.
The District Coordination Committees are responsible for overseeing development projects at the district level, monitoring their progress, and ensuring timely completion. However, due to the political nature of the Provincial Governors’ appointments, the ECSL has now deemed their involvement in these projects inappropriate during the election period.
As a result, plans to hold District Coordination Committee meetings next week in the five Northern Province districts – Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Kilinochchi, and Vavuniya – have been suspended following the Commission’s intervention. The ECSL communicated its objections to District Secretaries verbally, advising that these projects could only resume after the completion of the Parliamentary elections.
ECSL Chairperson R.M.A.L. Ratnayake has confirmed that the matter will be further discussed during a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 23 October, where the Commission will assess the broader implications of the President’s Secretary’s move.
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