General election Health guidelines difficult to implement: Kiriella

• Queues at polling stations will be one kilometre

By Yohan Perera   

Some of the stipulated health guidelines to be carried out during the general election are practically impossible to implement, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Kandy district candidate Lakshman Kiriella said yesterday. 

He told a news conference that social distancing when queuing up at polling stations was one of them. “Queues at polling stations will be one kilometre long dissuading voters from coming into the polling stations on election day while voter turnout is likely to be as low as 40 per cent in such a situation,” Mr. Kiriella said.   

He said another was to telecast election ralies live on social media.   

“Health authorities are contradicting their own statements as they are now talking of a second wave after giving the green light to the election commission to go ahead with the election,” Mr. Kiriella said.   

On a different note, he said the technology faculty at Pitipana in Homagama was constructed during his tenure as the minister in charge of higher education. “I am the one who submitted a paper to the Cabinet to set up the institute while officers in my ministry helped me immensely to make the project a success,” he said. 

• Queues at polling stations will be one kilometre long