Prison Officers to receive 40% pay hike soon:Lohan Ratwatte

By Shane Senevirathne - Kandy   

 The salaries of Prison Officers have not been increased for more than seven years and that steps are being taken to grant them a 40 per cent salary increase soon,   State Minister of Prison Management, Prisoner Rehabilitation and Gem Industry Lohan Ratwatte said. 

Addressing a gathering at the tree- planting campaign held in the Pallekele Outdoor Prison Camp, he said salaries of prison officers would be in par with the police officers and that a Cabinet paper for the proposed salary increase was already before the Cabinet. 

 
He said the Weerawila Prisoner Rehabilitation Camp would open in a couple of weeks with 500 prisoners and that it would be expanded under stage two to rehabilitate 2, 000 detainees. He said 43 hardcore criminals would be transferred to the rehabilitation centre after opening the 43 prison cells within a fortnight.   

State Minister Ratwatte further said that several countries had provided aid for the prisoner rehabilitation programme.   

 Refuting the allegation that extensive environmental damage had been caused to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, he said trees had been felled on a private land about eleven kilometres from the boundary of the forest reserve.   

Commissioner of Prisons Malin Liyanage, former Governor of Kandy Lion’s Club Prof. Laxman Wijeweera and several senior officials were present at the occasion.