President gives 3 days to clean up city – Or he will sack the minister

President, Maithripala Sirisena has warned Western Province Chief Minister Isura Dewapriya that he would be sacked from his post if the garbage that had piled up in Colombo and the suburbs was not disposed on in three days. According to government sources, the President had given him this ultimatum when the CM was absent during a meeting held to discuss ways and means to control the spread of dengue in and around Colombo on Saturday (17). According to reliable sources, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) which was supposed to award the tender to clean the streets of Colombo and get rid of it annually had awarded the tender to a private firm for a period of four years, thus breaking with procedure. It is learnt that this tender, given for four years, was worth Rs.1200 million at the rate of Rs. 300 mn per year.