• Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia MC says irregularities in expenditure needs to be investigated
• Claims solid waste mgmt. of the locacity is poor but Rs. 92 m has been spent

The Opposition leader of the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council (MC), Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, has called on the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to investigate alleged irregularities within the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council – including an alleged payment of Rs. 92 million to remove 35,000 tonnes of garbage.

Speaking to The Daily Morning he said that an audit report pertaining to the MC reveals that garbage was dumped at the Karadiyana landfill for an enormous sum, but no effort has been made to explore the sale of waste or launch a composting programme, even though the volume of collected garbage is growing rapidly.

He also claimed that the same audit also confirms that Rs. 13 million was allocated for installing an air conditioning system without any agreement being signed, and another Rs. 5 million was set aside without calling for quotations or even acquiring the generator it was meant for.

"Solid waste management in the MC area is in poor shape overall. The report also reveals that there are failures in collecting local taxes, trade license fees, parking charges, and even fees from major hotels for billboards and street signage. There are also irregularities in how debts from local butcher shops were written off without proper approval. Vehicles belonging to the MC operated without the State emblem, and no regular fuel checks were done for many of the council’s vehicles." he added.

Claiming that several former mayors and municipal councillors are responsible for these issues, Dr. Sanjeewa has requested the CIABOC to conduct a full audit and carry out an asset investigation into their (former mayors and councillors) dealings.