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Vehicles for 58 parliamentarians put on hold
The move to provide vehicles to 58 parliamentarians under an operational lease at a total cost of Rs.2.4 billion, has been temporarily halted, UPFA General Secretary Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said today.
The controversial move came under heavy criticism.
It ran into a snag when the Secretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Ministry Secretary Nimal Bopage refused to sign the document approving the issue of the vehicles. He said his refusal was based on several issues and that he was asked to “Sign or resign”.
Mr. Bopage said this proposal had not received the approval of the Technological Committee and that repayment was to be completed in 60 monthly instalments but the present parliament had only another 45 months to go and that he had no right to burden a future parliament with the remaining instalments.
Meanwhile, the 58 MPs were to hand over petitions to the President and the Prime Minister asking to remove Mr. Bopage from the post of ministry secretary. A government source said the MPs were of the opinion that Mr. Bopage should be removed from his post as he had opposed the Cabinet which had approved the proposal to provide the vehicles.
Earlier, Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake highlighted the fact that the 58 MPs were being currently paid a monthly transport allowance of Rs.200,000.
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