Visa issuance Can’t revert to old system as IT system changed: Minister

• Says will have to pass new  regulations in Parliament and revert to the old system

By Ajith Siriwardana  

Practical issues have arisen in reverting to the old visa  system as the IT system has been changed as per the regulations passed  by Parliament when introducing the new system, Public Security Minister  Tiran Alles said yesterday.   

He told a news conference that they discussed with Mobitel to revert to the old system of issuing visas soon after the  Supreme Court decision and that the change of IT system has been an  obstacle to do that.   

The Minister said this while responding to a question that  the Minister must take the responsibility for not reverting to the old  system as per the Supreme Court decision.   

“I have no responsibility. We discussed with Mobitel to  revert to the previous system soon after the Supreme Court decision.  What happened is, that once the system was switched off, we cannot switch it  on the following day. We have changed the IT system as per the  regulations passed by Parliament,” he said. 

 
The Minister said they will have to either pass new  regulations in Parliament and revert to the old system or file  submissions in the Supreme Court.   

“The Attorney General is looking into the matter now. Our  representatives did not make submissions. Only the petitioners made  their submissions. Our representatives could not make submissions  because we had not got the papers regarding the case. Mobitel also  informed us in their letter to us that they also could not make submissions  as they also had received papers on August 2,” he said. 

• Says once the system is switched off, we cannot switch it on the following day