Salaries of Rs. 583 million had been paid to 3,700 trainees recruited  during the period  2017-2019

• He also questioned how there could be 218 surplus employees when there were 116 vacancies at the tertiary level
• COPE Chairman questioned the officers regarding the existence of 46 surplus posts

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana   

Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) had uncovered several serious discrepancies with regard to the National Housing Development Authority , Parliament media unit which quoted COPE Chairman Charitha Hearth said yesterday.    

“There are 688 vacancies in the National Housing Development Authority which include 154 in the top management level of the company while the COPE Chairman questioned the officers regarding the existence of 46 surplus posts. He also questioned how there could be 218 surplus employees when there were 116 vacancies at the tertiary level,” it said. . 

 
Prof. Charitha Herath, directed Secretary to the State Ministry of Rural Housing and Construction and Building Material Industries Promotion- Keerthi Ranjith Abeysiriwardena to submit a report with regard to this situation to the COPE within a month.   

It was also revealed at this Committee that salaries of Rs. 583 million had been paid for 3,700 trainees recruited to the National Housing Development Authority during the period 2017-2019.   

Parliamentarian Premnath C. Dolawatta questioned regarding these trainees. The Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera stated that the trainees had not even been assigned proper duties.   

The Committee paid special attention to the failure to table the Annual Reports of the National Housing Development Authority in Parliament properly. The Committee also drew attention to the failure to include the Annual Procurement Plan, the Human Resource Development Plan and the Internal Audit Plan that should be included in the Annual Action Plan of the Authority.