Another chaotic day at the Maharagama UC; Chairman flees in Police jeep

The Maharagama Urban Council which is never short of controversies again came to the spotlight after its chairman had to flee in a Police jeep after labourers attached to the council stormed into his office.

This week’s incident occurred after Chairman Tiraj Lakruwn Piyaratne, who had earlier appointed a labourer as his driver, subsequently demoted him to be a labourer.

The labourers expressed anger over the incident by storming his office and protested over the action of the chairman by hooting. He had to seek Police help to leave his office.

The council meeting held two weeks back also was eventful as some members smacked the vice chairman of the council with half a loaf of bread.

The incident was sparked off when Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna ( SLPP) member Nishantha Wimalachandra shouted that a Rs 2.8 million worth vehicle was bought for the vice chairman, who is also the father of the chairman, without following a procurement procedure. After making the accusation, the member suddenly tossed half a loaf of bread at the face of vice chairman Sunil Piyaratne, who is also an SLPP member.

However, Sunil Piyaratne denied the claims made about him and prepared to fight the member who threw the half loaf of bread. The rest of the council members stopped a fully fledged brawl occurring by pulling the aspiring pugilists to separate sides.