13 September 2021 08:35 am Views - 89
By Yohan Perera
SLPP Member of Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Tony Ramzi is to stage a fast unto death in protest against the delay on the part of the CMC to provide relief to city dwellers who are affected by the lockdown on Tuesday September 14 2021.
Ramzi told Daily Mirror that he had decided to stage a death fast as CMC had delayed providing relief to city dwellers despite the Council approving a resolution to this effect recently.
“ I have still not decided on the venue of the death fast yet but it would be either in front of the Presidential Secretariat or in front of Colombo Town Hall,” he said.
It is the Municipal Commissioner who is behind the delay as she is interfering with the matters of CMC.. I have already written a letter to Western Province Governor Roshan Gunatilleke asking him to take action against the Commissioner but he had not taken any action to date,” he added.
However CMC Member Shermila Gonawala who expressed a different opinion said the municipal council is currently running with a bank over draft exceeding Rs 1000 million because of wrong decision made by some members of Finance committee. " CMC has lost around 100 million revenue which the council could have earned as the finance committee members allowd the company which collect parking tickets to earn that amount. The council has lost the revenue it could have collected from the Kollupitya market as it is to be handed over to the Private sector illegally ," she said.
" The CMC is unable to help the needy city dwellers because of revenue losses the CMC has suffered," she added.
Also she alleged that dry ration bags are given to CMC members to be distributed among the poor. This will politicise the program as council members will distribute the bags to their associates who may not be deserving ," she added.