The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) is burdened by overdue rent of over Rs. 52 million on three properties that were allocated to three former municipal council commissioners, The Sunday Morning learnt.
Present Municipal Commissioner Attorney-at-Law Roshanie Dissanayake is given a house for which the Municipal Council is paying a rent of Rs. 300,000 per month.
The house was acquired for a period of six months and the agreement ends by August.
The Council is at present considering legal action against the said former municipal commissioners who are yet to vacate their official quarters that were paid for by the Municipal Council during their tenures. Meanwhile, the CMC has informed the Presidential Secretariat about the matter seeking suitable action.
The overdue rent for two of the official residences amounts to Rs. 26,900,000. The other official residence which is still occupied by Secretary to the Ministry of Internal Trade and Food Security Bhadrani Jayawardena, who resigned from the post of Municipal Commissioner in 2015, is now overdue with a rent amounting to Rs. 25,500,000.
Jayawardena is occupying the official residence designated for the Colombo Municipal Commissioner, which stands on an 80- perch property at Albert Crescent. The CMC stated that although her present ministry has given her new quarters, she is still occupying the official residence of the Municipal Commissioner.
Former Municipal Commissioner V.K. Anura too has not handed over the official quarters. He is due to pay a fine of Rs. 1,400,000 to the Municipal Council for not officially handing over the premises after vacating his post in 2019.
The CMC further stated that former Municipal Commissioner Palitha Nanayakkara too is yet to vacate the official quarters that he occupied when he was the Municipal Commissioner. He has overstayed in this official residence for more than six months (since January 2020).
(The Morning)