MPS TRAPPED IN THE PARLIAMENT ELEVATOR

The MPS trapped in the elevator were Dinesh Gunawardane, Wimal Weerawansa, Bandula Gunawardane, Dayasiri Jayasekara, Chandima Weerakkodi, C.b.ratnayake, Dullas Allahapperuma, Chandrasiri Gajadeera, Gamini Lokuge, Mahinda Yapa, Ranjith Soyza and Ranjith Al

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said yesterday that parliament was taking the responsibility over the incident where 12 MPS were trapped in the parliament elevator yesterday and said steps would be taken to replace the elevator if needed.

While insisting it was not an incident done deliberately, the Speaker said he would summon the relevant officials and take steps to replace the elevator if needed.

MP Dinesh Gunawardane said twelve MPS including House Committee Chairman deputy Minister Ranjith Aluvihare were trapped in the elevator for about twenty-five minutes and urged the Speaker to look into the matter saying that it was a serious matter if parliament authorities failed to mediate in such a situation. He told parliament that there was no one to answer the call made from the emergency telephone for twenty-five minutes and that he had not faced such a horrific incident in his parliament career from 1983.

He said it was the House Committee which was monitoring operations of such facilities and said even the House Committee Chairman Ranjith Aluwihare was left hapless at that time. He asked the speaker to pay his serious consideration to this and said they could not accept investigations carried out by the Parliament officials and pointed out that the Speaker was misled even when there was an issue with the electronic voting system in the House.

“Leader of the House said funds had been allocated for a new elevator sometime ago. Please inform us to use the staircase, if the new elevator was not fixed or the old one is not renovated without endangering the lives of peoples’ representatives going by wrong facts of officials,” he said.

MP Wimal Weerawansa said when elevators were overloaded, any elevator usually gives a warning signal but these elevators were not giving any such signal.

He also said there was no one to attend the emergency telephone for more than 15 minutes and said all of their Colombo District MPS except for Udaya Gammanpila were in the lift at that time.

Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said the issue relating to the elevator was a serious one and said there was no one to take responsibility when an incident happened in parliament.“they are passing the buck.the new elevator should be brought in,” he said.

Minister Kiriella said an investigation should be carried out in this regard and those responsible should be named.

He also said the amount which the MPS were insured was not at all sufficient and said they were insured only for two lakhs.

MP Dayasiri Jayasekara asked not to increase MPS insurance hiding behind this saying that people would criticize such moves.

MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said the elevator was a machine and that any machine could break down and said if the MPS were afraid of it, they could use the staircase.

“There is no machine which is not breaking down. Even rockets sent to the moon collapse on the way,” he said.

The MPS trapped in the elevator were Dinesh Gunawardane, Wimal Weerawansa, Bandula Gunawardane, Dayasiri Jayasekara, Chandima Weerakkodi, C.b.ratnayake, Dullas Allahapperuma, Chandrasiri Gajadeera, Gamini Lokuge, Mahinda Yapa, Ranjith Soyza and Ranjith Aluwihare.