Federation Takes over Business Nucleus Scheme from GTZ

The Federation of Chambers and Commerce in Sri Lanka (FCCISL) has taken over the Nucleus Business and Enterprise Development Scheme that has proven to be a huge success in the Central Province. The German aid agency GTZ originally launched the program in 2004. GTZ had to abandon the project following the recent cut in German aid to Sri Lanka. Under the program each industry or service has its own program of development and a counselor to implement it. All the evaluations and reports have generally pronounced that the program has been a great success and very popular among small and medium entrepreneurs.

The Federation has established a Nucleus Entrepreneur Foundation that will operate with the assistance of the Chambers of Commerce in the province.

Speaking at the launch the Secretary General of FCCISL Samantha Abeywickrama said that the Federation would assist all 24 Chambers in the island to have the scheme.

Those who are interested in learning more about the Nucleus Program should contact the following:

Nucleus Entrepreneur Foundation
406/11, Piachaud Gardens, Kandy.
Telephone 081 2223701
Hotline 077 3622222
Email: info@nucleus.lk
Website: http://nucleus.lk/

KMC Vet Protests Against Police Raid of Abattoir

KMC Veterinary Surgeon Dr. S R Jayasinghe in a report submitted to the Council has protested against a Kandy Police raid of the municipal abattoir. Dr. Jayasinghe states that the police officers who raided had claimed that they had orders from “above” to verify whether” illegal” activities were going on in the facility.

The report states that the police took into custody a vehicle belonging to the abattoir as well as samples of hide and beef. They had also later taken a statement from Dr. Jayasinghe in his office. Some employees of the abattoir had been summoned to the police station to record statements.

Dr. Jayasinghe states that police should have first informed the mayor and the commissioner of the council before raiding or investigating the abattoir.

No Cricket on Kandy Lake Round

The KMC has rejected a request from Sri Lanka Cricket to have a block of land at the head of the Kandy Lake adjacent to the Garden Club tennis courts for a cricket training facility. Sri Lanka Cricket had asked for a lease to construct a cricket complex comprising of an indoor stadium, hostel auditorium, car park and related facilities.

The Council believes that such a facility would seriously damage the fragile environment of the Kandy Lake.

KMC to Tighten Its Financial Belt

KMC which is facing a financial crunch is making a bid to streamline its financial management in an attempt to overcome the difficult situation. Recently the Council liquidated some of its fixed deposits to pay its bills.

Municipal Commissioner P G Wimalasiri in a written order has directed the Chief Accountant S P G Jayadeva to identify the shortfalls in revenue collection to take steps to collect the dues. The Chief Accountant has also been asked to identify non-essential expenditures that could be eliminated from the budget. The Commissioner has stressed the importance of planning the cash flow to ensure that the council is able to meet its wage bill every month on the due date.

JVP Proposes Minimum Standards for Private Buses

The Central Provincial Council recently accepted a proposal that a JVP member of the Central Provincial Council P B Dissanayake made to impose minimum standards for private buses and vans. He pointed out that many of the private buses and vans were mechanically defective and not roadworthy. The general conditions of the vehicles were very poor. At present the Provincial Transport Authority has no minimum standards for these vehicles. In futures vehicles that fail to meet standards will not be issued with rout permits.

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Kandy Wastewater Project Will Benefit 50,000 Residents

The much delayed Kandy City Wastewater (Sewerage) Disposal Project (KWDP) That will directly benefit about 50,000 residents (40% of the KMC population) will be completed in the next eight year by 2016.In addition it will also cater to a transient population that is variously estimated at between 75,000 and 150,000. Area wise the project will cover about 8 sq km of the 24.5 sq km KMC area. The estimated cost of the project is about Rs 13.4 billion.

The project will be executed under the direction of the Deputy General Manager (DGM- Central & Sabaragamuwa Provinces) of the National Water Supply & Drainage Board Engineer M A M S L Attanayaka. The Director of the Greater Kandy Water Project, Engineer Sarath Gamini is the Acting Project Director of the Wastewater Project. KWDP was originally mooted in 1998 at a cost of Rs 3.0b. But public protest over the location of the purification plant and pumping stations has delayed the implementation of the project by five years. In particular the Department of Agriculture strongly resisted the location of the purification plant in a part of its land in Gannoruwa. Villagers in Bowala did not want a pump station in their backyard. These objections have now been overcome.

Acting Director Sarath Gamini

DGM M A M S L Attanayaka

Official sources estimate that delays largely attributable to public protest has added about Rs1.0b to the budget. But the rest of the additional cost of Rs 8.0b is the result of a significant expansion of the geographical coverage of the project and the incorporation of the latest technology in the purification plant.

The original plan included only the city centre and the immediate adjacent areas. Only three pumping stations - Lake Round, Heerassagala and New Court Complex - were to be build under the old plan. The current plan includes Ampitiya (KMC limits) in the east, area up to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital in the west and Mahaiyawa in the north with three additional pumping stations in Mahaiyawa, Getembe and Galaha Junction respectively.

The Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has agreed to provide about Rs 10.9b (80%) of the budget as loan aid. The balance Rs 2.4b money is a contribution from the Sri Lanka government.

The project will be implemented in two phases. About half of the total of 11,400 service connections will be given in Phase I and will serve about 20,000 residents. In phase two the balance connections covering about 30,000 residents will be provided.

The trunk sewer duct will be 12 km in length and will run partly along Gopallawa Mawatha. There will be an additional 95km of lateral sewer ducts. The project will produce 40 tons of organic fertilizer per month.

The Kandy public has raised several concerns in respect of the proposed project. One is the effluent discharged after purification to the Mahaweli in Gannoruwa at a point about 350m downstream from the Meda Ela downfall. The Water Boad DGM Attanayaka in a presentation that he made to President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently in Kandy pointed out that currently the Mahaweli is highly polluted with untreated sewerage. Such water pollution, he noted, has been the main reason for the recent hepatitis outbreak in Gampola and elsewhere. The proposed sewerage project, he said, will ensure that the effluent discharged will be within the standards that the Central Environment Authority (CEA) has specified. Hospital discharge will be taken into the system only after pre-treatment. Thus the Kandy sewerage project would help significantly reduce the pollution in Mahaweli and make the water safer.

Another main public concern is the cost that they will have bear by way of monthly bills for wastewater. The average cost per cubic meter at today's prices would be around Rs 12. That means, in the absence of a subsidy, the average consumer will have to pay around Rs 300 to Rs 400 as sewerage charges. The KMC wants have a tariff structure that will subsidize the low-end users who will mostly be from the lower income group.

Between now and 2009 the preliminaries will be completed. The loan agreement was signed in March this year. Now a soio-cultural survey of low income groups to assess their housing conditions, demand for service and the capacity to pay is being conducted. Consultants for the project will also be sleeted in the months ahead.

By the end of 2008 the preliminary designs, soil investigations and engineering survey will be completed. In 2009 international open tenders will be called. The years 2010 to 2012 will be the hardest for the Kandy public because almost every road in the project area will have to be dug up to lay over 100 km of sewer ducts. The Water Board says that this will be well planned and done in the nights to minimize public inconvenience. In the three years from 2014 to 2016 the 11,400 connection will be given.

The Water Board has revised its original plan to charge for connections and will give them free in the period 2014-16. They will also give a subsidy to households and premises that do not have a toilet to construct one. The goal is to have 100% compliance to derive the maximum benefit to the community.