Court restores sacked Sri Lanka Cricket board
Colombo: The Court of Appeal on Tuesday restored the Sri Lanka Cricket board administration, a day after it was dismissed by the government following the national team's heavy defeat to hosts India in the ongoing World Cup.
Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe on Monday appointed an interim seven-member committee headed by former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga following a public outcry after Sri Lanka's 302-run loss to India in Mumbai on November 2.
But, the Court of Appeal here suspended for 14 days the notification issued by Ranasinghe after Silva approached it for relief.
Officials of the Silva administration said the court order tantamounted to the SLC being restored and they would resume operations as usual.
Ranatunga visited the SLC headquarters on Monday to take over the administration.
The sacking of SLC was discussed at the cabinet meeting held here on Monday. President Ranil Wickremesinghe appointed a cabinet sub committee headed by foreign minister Ali Sabry to probe the dispute over the SLC administration.
Ranatunga, who earlier headed the National Sports Council appointed by Ranasinghe, has been questioning the Silva administration.
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NGT halts Karnataka govt plan to divert ₹400 crore from KSPCB
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government’s move to divert over ₹400 crore from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for non-environmental works has hit a legal hurdle, after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took suo motu cognisance of the issue.
According to a report published by Deccan Herald, the state government had sought ₹100 crore as a grant, a ₹126 crore interest-free loan, and an additional ₹200 crore loan at an interest rate of 7.5% from the KSPCB. The funds were proposed to be used for projects related to preventing man-animal conflict and for coastal resilience works.
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The principal bench of the NGT, while issuing notices to Karnataka and other states, observed that pollution control boards are already facing severe staff shortages and increasing responsibilities. It noted that while boards are not allowed to fill vacancies to carry out their statutory duties, their funds are being sought for activities not covered under the Air Act or Water Act, which govern their functioning.
Of the total ₹426 crore sought by the state, ₹300 crore was proposed for constructing railway barricades to prevent man-elephant conflict, while ₹126 crore was earmarked for coastal protection works under a climate change mitigation programme.
The report also pointed out that diverting KSPCB funds lacks legal backing under the Water and Air Acts. It referred to a 2023 NGT order that questioned a similar attempt by the Punjab government to divert ₹250 crore, following which Punjab withdrew its proposal.
Officials within the KSPCB have raised concerns over the move, stating that the board requires greater autonomy and urgent reforms. They also flagged acute staff shortages, which have affected the board’s ability to effectively carry out environmental monitoring and regulatory functions.
