THEY NEED NOT FEAR TO BREAK THE LAW TO CARRY OUT RELIEF OPS: ERAN

Public servants need not be afraid of being faulted in case of circumventing laid-down procedures when helping the flood and landslide-affected, Public Enterprise Development Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne said yesterday.

The government had requested all state banks to help small and medium business enterprises

He said the priority at this moment should be to help the victims and not to bring down vehicles.

The deputy minister said the government had requested all state banks to help small and medium business enterprises which has been affected by the floods. However, he said an assessment has to be carried out on the extent of the damage and the number of business establishments affected.

The deputy minister said it was essential to obtain the services of geological experts to carry out a test on the composition of Sri Lanka’s soil to determine the underlying causes for the landslides. “One of the reasons may be the movement of the top soil but a proper study has to be made so that government could take necessary steps to prevent landslides in the future,” he said and underscored the fact that most of the deaths were due to landslides rather than floods.

minister said it was essential to obtain the services of geological experts to carry out a test on the composition of Sri Lanka’s soil to determine the underlying causes for the landslides