President declares key services as essential amid disaster

Colombo — President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has issued an extraordinary gazette notification declaring several critical services as essential services.

Among the services classified as essential are electricity supply, the supply and distribution of petroleum products and fuel, including gas, as well as hospitals, water supply, and public transport services.

Essential public service declared in the gazette include:

1. All services connected to the supply of electricity
2. The supply or distribution of fuel, including petroleum products and gas
3. All service, work or labour, of any description whatsoever, necessary or required to be done in connection with the maintenance, and          the reception, care feeding and treatment, of  patients in hospitals, nursing homes, dispensaries, and other similar institution

4. Public transport services for the transportation of passengers or goods

5. The Facilitation and maintenance of transportation services and tourism services by road, rail, or air, including highways, bridges, culverts, airports, ports, and railways
6. All services connected to the supply of water and drainage
7. All services connected with the supply, safeguard, and distribution of food and essential commodities
8. All type of services, works, or labour contributions which should be carried out or required to be carried out by District
Secretariats, Divisional Secretariats, Grama Niladharis, Samurdhi Development Offi cers, Agricultural Research
Assistants, Community Empowerment Offi cers, Offi cers of the Clean Sri Lanka Centralized Team, including all fi eld level offi cers of all District and Divisional Secretariats.
9. Ambulance services
10. All state banking and insurance services including the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
11. Any services carried out by any Local Authorities for the supply of water, electricity, drainage and sewerage systems, fire-fire ghting and ambulance services, scavenging and the removal of garbage (including the carriage and disposal of
feces), and all services carried out by Local Authorities
12. All services connected to the irrigation
13. All services connected to the telephone, telecommunication, and media
14. All services connected to the reclamation and development of low-lying lands
15. All services connected to the agriculture and agricultural insurance services