Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister Has Taken Oaths Under His Ministerial Portfolios

The Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Council C.V Vigneshweran has taken  oaths under his 13 ministerial portfolios this morning before President Mahinda Rajapaksha .

The Chief Minister has taken oaths under his ministerial portfolios of Finance and Planning ,Law and Peace,Land and Road Development ,Electricity,Housing and Development ,Water Supply,Co-operative Development ,Social Services and Rehabilitation,Women Affairs,Industries and Enterprise Development ,Tourism,District and Provincial Council Management,Food Supply and Distribution .

Government Minsters and members of Chief Minister Vigneshweran's TNA Party were attended the oaths taking ceremony.

Sports Museum To Be Set Up Shortly

The Sports Ministry has been working on  to set up a Sports Museum in the country according to ministry sources.the aim of setting up this museum is to honor national sports personal who brought honor for the country by winning  medals and tournaments .

The initial step on setting  up of the proposed museum is to begin shortly sources have added.

Another Medical Intensive Care Unit Has Been Shut Down Due To Transfer Of Doctors

The Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of Kurunagala Teaching Hospital(In North Western Province) has been shut down since 05th of October due to the sudden transfers of all Medical Officers who had  worked there without getting any replacements hospital sources have revealed.all six medical officers attached to the MICU were transferred on 05th of October to other hospitals under the annual doctors transfer scheme without any replacements sources said.

Due to this situation the  patients who are needing MICU care have been transferring to Kandy Teaching and Colombo National Hospitals according to hospital authorities.

The MICU's in Karapitiya Teaching and South Colombo Teaching Hospitals have faced similar fate recently as they too got crippled due to transferring majority of medical officers attached to those units without making replacement appointments.

Seventy Three Sri Lankan Asylum Seekers Deported From Australia

Two Groups consisting of Seventy Three Sri Lankan Asylum Seekers who were deported from Christmas Island in Australia have arrived the island  yesterday(14) and today(15) .forty asylum seekers were arrived yesterday and thirty three arrived today from Katunayaka Air Port.

The group of Thirty Three who arrived today consist of eight women,twenty five men and eight children were mostly Tamil people from Jaffna the sources said. .the deportees were left Australia in a  Fishing Boat from Negambo and entered  Australia illegally .they have deported to Sri Lanka after their appeal for political asylum  was rejected by Australian authorities
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All Registered Drug Suppliers Supplied Atleast One Or Several low quality Drug Items To Hospitals

Almost all the registered Drug Suppliers supplying drugs to Government Hospitals have found as supplied at least one or several low quality drugs according to Health Services Trade Union Alliance(HSTUA).due to  this situation the majority of  patients have lost their faith on drugs supply to them free of charge under the free healthcare system alliance has revealed.

During first eight months of this year from January to August around 66 Drug Items were withdrawn from government hospitals due to quality failure problems the President of HSTUA Saman Rathnapriya has said.

Lanka Private Bus Owners Association To Take Legal Action Against Private Bus Authorities

The Lanka Private Bus Operators Association has decided to take a legal action against Minister of Private Transport Services C.B Ratnayake and National Transport Commission for not adapting a proper process to administer the private transport industry .the authorities have failed to implement at least the scheduled system correctly says the president of Lanka Private Bus Operators Association Gamunu Wijeratne.

Although the government has decided to increase the private bus fares by 7% from 01st of November the bus fare should be increased at least from 12% he has said.

Speaking at media briefing held in Colombo today(13) gamunu wijeratne has said that government has taken a decision to increase private bus fares without consulting private bus  operators unions and still it's not clear how the authorities calculated the percentage of increasing bus fares to 7% .

The private bus operators run Rs.25 million loss per day since last July as the government not able to increase the private bus fares by then he has stressed."now the total million of loss occurred in  private bus industry has risen to Rs.3000 million and private bus owners have faced severe difficulties due to this "president of lanka private bus owners association has further said.

Cabinet Has Approved A 7% Price Hike Of Private Bus Fares

The Cabinet has approved a 7% price hike of Private Bus fares with effect from 01st Of November this year.the cabinet paper on price hike of private bus fares which was submitted to the cabinet recently has received the approval according to Minister of Private Transport Services C.B Ratnayake.

Meanwhile trade unions representing private bus owners have expressed their opposition for the proposed 7% price hike  by stating that government should have increased private bus fares by more then this.the president of Lanka Private Bus Owners Association Gamunu Wijeratne has said that the authorities still not been  informed them on the new price hike of bus fares. however  the proposed 7% hike was requested by them on last February and it should be increased more then this by now he has said.there may be a price increase of Diesel behind the increase of bus fares he has stressed.

 The association's director board will meet tomorrow(13) to discuss on the matter the president of Lanka Private Bus Owners Association has revealed.

Stating on the new bus fare increase the secretary of All Island Private Bus Companies Federation Anjana Priyanjith has said that according to national policy on bus fares a 10%  bus fare increase should be granted .if the authorities have not revised this new bus fare increase ,the federation  will sought a legal action against it he has said.