Central Province Governor Dr. Suranga Fernando has suspended the functions of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB)-controlled Pathahewaheta Pradeshiya Sabha in the Kandy district, with effect from 19 October.

According to an Extraordinary Gazette issued on 19 October, the Governor has directed the Kandy District Assistant Commissioner of Local Government, A.W.G.L. Attanayake, to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Pradeshiya Sabha and its chairman.

The decision follows the appointment of retired judicial officer Nihal Sunil Rajapaksha to conduct an inquiry into whether the chairman, the vice chairman and other members of the local authority have committed offences under Section 185(1) of the Pradeshiya Sabha Act.

The inquiry was ordered through an earlier Extraordinary Gazette dated 22 September. The latest directive was issued under Section 185(3)(a)(iii) of the Act, read with the Provincial Councils (Consequential Provisions) Act.

The Gazette does not announce the findings of the inquiry or specify any allegations against individual members of the council.

Background

Pradeshiya Sabhas are local authorities that administer areas outside the main towns. Alongside Municipal Councils and Urban Councils, they form the lowest tier of elected government in Sri Lanka and are responsible for local services such as roads, sanitation and public amenities. Each is headed by a chairman, with a vice chairman and elected members.

Local authorities operate within the provincial council system, which is why the Governor of the Central Province, rather than a central government minister, issued the directive. Kandy is one of the districts of the Central Province.

The sequence set out in the two Gazette notices is an inquiry first, ordered on 22 September, and a suspension of the council’s functions on 19 October. The notices do not state what the inquiry has found.

What it means

While the suspension is in force, the powers and duties of the Pradeshiya Sabha and its chairman are to be exercised by the Assistant Commissioner of Local Government for Kandy. Decisions on council business in the Pathahewaheta area are therefore to pass through that official rather than through the elected members.

The findings of the inquiry by Rajapaksha have not been announced, and the Gazette names no individual offences. Residents who rely on the council for local services should expect them to be administered by the Assistant Commissioner while the suspension lasts.