Govt. Printer receives no response from Treasury to her latest request for funds

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Government Printer Gangani Kalpana Liyanage yesterday informed the Elections Commission (EC) that the Treasury had not responded to a request to provide the necessary funds for printing ballot papers for the local government elections.

Liyanage told the media that she had written to the Treasury on Tuesday asking for funds following the EC’s request for ballot papers.

The Government Printer has said she needs at least Rs 200 million to start printing ballot papers. Her department can complete the printing of ballot papers for postal voting within six days after receiving funds. The rest can be printed within a month, she has said.

The Government Printer last month informed the EC that she could not print the ballot papers unless the full estimated cost of printing (Rs. 401,594,852.56) was settled.

She has cited as the reason for the delay, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s directive, on January 31st, as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies, to curtail government expenditure with a warning to public officials that they would be personally held responsible for whatever goods and services they obtained on credit.