29 June 2016 12:00 am
Some purohitas in yahapalanaya too have found that Karunka (dried arecanut) trade is a money spinning business.
It is not a complex business either – just a matter of buying cheap and selling dear.
Importing Karunka in large quantities for re-export had turned into a big racket when the yahapalanaya government decided to stop issuing permits for Karunka imports. However, by this time, at least four purohitas had got involved in this trade. Having tasted the gravy, they craved more for it. The purohitas in the thick of it, abusing their authority had issued 10 permits on the sly to their proxies for the import of about 100 containers of Karunka. Now the lid on the affair has been blown off, they say.
According to hush-hush in political circles, even a purohita who secured a seat in the council through the gratis list is also among those making a fortune from the Karunka business, they say.