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Monday, 25 February 2013
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The Casanova style actions of First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s brother, SriLankan Airlines Chairman, Nishantha Wickremasinghe has created an internal rift in the Presidential house, it is learnt.
SriLankan Airlines is currently incurring a loss of close to US$ 20 million a month while the company’s Chairman has completely ignored the administrative work of the airline company. SriLankan Airlines is continuing to steadily deteriorate. However, the company’s chairman who has fallen for a damsel nearly half his age travels daily to Dubai to see her.
The young girl, SR (name withheld), who was at the SriLankan Airlines office in Singapore has been promoted by the Chairman as marketing manager and stationed her in Dubai. SR does not possess the necessary skills or qualifications to hold such an executive post in SriLankan Airlines. The chairman had therefore sent her for a special training programme at Emirates at company cost. It is a well known secret that the chairman travels to Dubai at least four to five times a week to see her.
Everyone at SriLankan Airlines are now aware of the chairman’s actions. Although the need to please his personal desires is a private affair, there is no option but to expose such acts when they are carried out at public expense.
The chairman does not show much interest in attending meetings where his presence is compulsory. However, he is in office by 8 a.m. when there are interviews for air hostesses, which the chairman usually does not attend. On such days he remains in office till late evening until the final applicant leaves the office.
Nishantha Wickremesinghe, who is over 60 years, pays great attention to beauty and make-up. The problem is that it is SriLankan Airlines that has to bear the costs of his beauticians and make-up. The make-up worn by the chairman had recently spilled all over his clothes when he had got wet by rain during a function. An embarrassed chairman had immediately left the event.
The President it is learnt is angry about his brother in-law’s actions. He had asked media personnel close to him to attack the chairman without showing any mercy. It was due to this directive that questions were posed by the media on the large sum of monies and the Rolex wrist watch that were stolen from the chairman’s residence during a robbery.
However, the President is unable to remove Nishantha Wickremasinghe from SriLankan Airlines since he is protected by his sister, the First Lady. The minute the President tries to say something against Wickremasinghe, the First Lady says, “You first do what is right before trying to teach others.”
The President then has no other option but to bite his lips in anger.
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MONDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2013
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The Sri Lanka Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has acted to waive Rs.33 billion as non-essential expenditure out of Rs.268 billion estimated by the Ceylon Electricity Board as this year’s expenditure.
The amount waived had been included in the proposed increase of electricity tariff to be recovered from consumers. “The additional expenses that were to be borne by the CEB will be reduced by the amount that has been waived,” PUC Chairman Jayatissa De Costa said.
He said in the event the CEB increased its rates, it would be done after removing this amount from its estimated expenses and with the approval of the PUC.
This reduction had been possible by not obtaining power from some of the private companies and having also considering the increased capacity of the hydro power plants.
This saving is expected to be in the region of Rs.33 billion. Dr. Costa said savings include unnecessary capital expenditure of Rs.5 billion and expenditure unrelated to the supply of electricity is another Rs.6 billion. The PUC will take these matters into consideration when fixing the tariff rates. (Ariyaratne Ranabahu)
Monday, 25 February 2013
MONDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2013
