Met Department failure investigation (2 items)

Disaster Management Minister ready for independent probe 

Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday told Parliament that if necessary an independent investigation would be called to probe whether the Met Department had made an early warning prior to the Friday’s catastrophic weather conditions.

If found that there had been any shortcomings or dereliction of duties in the part of the Met Department officials, then maximum action would be taken against them, the minister said.

He said that there were complaints from the public that the Department failed to forecast the adverse weather that caused havoc in Southern coastal areas on November 26.

The minister was responding to a question raised by UNP Kurunegala District MP who demanded to know what action the government would take against the Met Department officials who failed in their duty to forecast the heavy rains and gale force winds blew across the Southern coast last week. (SI)

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=40046


Independent Committee to probe Met. Dep. report

Sandasen Marasinghe Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige

Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera stated that an Independent Committee will be set up on the report that is to be presented by the Meteorological Department on the inclement weather in the Southern Province, if the report were not satisfactory. The minister made this observation yesterday in Parliament in response to a question raised by UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekara.

Minister Amaraweera further stated that if there was a lapse on the part of the Meteorological Department officials, action will be taken against them. He added that the government did to need to protect anybody.

Minister Amaraweera also said that although the Meteorological Department says they issued a warning on the bad weather well beforehand there was plenty of criticism that the warning was not delivered on time.

The minister also stated that the Disaster Management National Committee was chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the President directed the officials to provide all relief to the affected people by the gale in the South.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/11/29/news12.asp