Ravi K asks Prez to travel by helicopter to save time for productivity

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana  

Sri Lanka has failed to earn desired benefits from the decisions made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the government to forego perks entitled to them, Opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake told Parliament yesterday.  

“I have repeatedly said that the President should use helicopters when travelling across the country. He spends seven hours at least travelling towards the North by road. He wastes valuable time which he could spend to make important decisions by travelling to the North by road. The President will have more time to make important decisions if he travels by helicopter,” Mr. Karunanayake said speaking during the second reading debate on the budget in the House.  

“The Speaker’s official residence is located next to my residence. It is closed at the moment, what benefit could the country enjoy by keeping the official residence closed? You may save only a few millions by keeping them closed,” he said.  

The MP cited a recent report published in Daily Mirror on the decision by the government to stop night visits to Sigiriya. “This decision may have come because of the refusal by the relevant officers to work during the night time. “Can Sri Lanka generate much-needed revenue if the state officers hold such an attitude” he questioned.  

“Sri Lanka will lose much-needed earnings by this decision at the end of the day,” he added.  

The MP also questioned the report which said there is low enthusiasm in opening letters of credit (LCs) to import vehicles. “It is reported that LCs worth only US $ 80 million has been opened despite the government’s plan to earn a revenue of US $ 1,000 million out of vehicle imports this year. It has also been reported that Japanese banks have refused to accept LCs issued by Sri Lankan banks,” he added.