Litro Gas will not be privatised: Minister

Ravi Karunanayake

In an emphatic response to UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardena, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said there was no attempt at all to privatize Litro Gas Lanka Ltd.

The minister said that rather than privatizing Litro Gas, the government in fact had reduced the price of gas and brought it down even below tendered prices, but that some bankrupt politicians were making baseless allegations to score political brownie points.

“They do not know what they are talking about or saying. They come up with these baseless allegations during election time for political gain. During the Rajapaksa regime, two officials were drawing monthly salaries of Rs.500,000 each. Our directors draw a salary of Rs.200,000 each,” he said.

The minister said he would sue Mr. Gunawardane for making unfounded allegations.

“I will send a letter of demands to him. During the Rajapaksa regime purchases were made at higher rates. None of those in the then government had the guts to raise these matters,” he said and added that the open tender procedure was followed in this instance.

(Daily Mirror)