More than Rs. 332 million in public funds has been spent on maintaining Provincial Council chairpersons and their staff despite the dissolution of Provincial Councils, Deputy Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Ruwan Senarath told Parliament on Friday. The Deput…

More than Rs. 332 million in public funds has been spent on maintaining Provincial Council chairpersons and their staff despite the dissolution of Provincial Councils, Deputy Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government Ruwan Senarath told Parliament on Friday. The Deputy Minister disclosed this in response to a question raised by NPP Gampaha District MP Ruwan Nishantha Mapalagama. According to Senarath, a total of Rs. 332.9 million had been incurred during the relevant period for the upkeep of Provincial Council chairpersons and their administrative staff, although the respective councils had ceased functioning after completing their terms. He explained that the expenditure had continued due to provisions in the Constitution and existing legal framework, under which the positions of Provincial Council chairpersons remain valid even after the expiry of the councils’ official terms. Senarath said the legal provisions governing Provincial Councils had resulted in chairpersons and their staff continuing to receive related facilities despite the councils themselves no longer being operational. The disclosure came amid concerns over public expenditure incurred on maintaining institutions that remain inactive due to the absence of Provincial Council elections.