• New company and board appointed
• Stakeholder deal holds up rollout

The Government’s move to bring all 18 dedicated economic centres under a new centralized management structure has hit a delay, with the proposed administrative overhaul yet to be formally completed due to pending stakeholder agreements, Deputy Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister R M Jayawardena said.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Jayawardena said that although a company had already been established and its board of directors appointed, the new administrative structure could not be formally finalized until an agreement was signed by traders, farmers and the newly established entity.“We have established the company by now. The board of directors has also been appointed. But, we have not yet been able to formally complete the administrative structure,” he said.

He said that there had been a slight delay in signing the required agreement between the economic centre traders, farmers and the newly established entity.“The reason for this is that the traders at the economic centres, farmers and the company have to sign a joint agreement. There is a slight delay in signing that agreement. We hope to finalize it and complete this work as soon as possible.”

The restructuring will change the way the dedicated economic centres are administered. Under the previous system, each centre was largely managed through a committee headed by the relevant District Secretary, with the Divisional Secretary and representatives of farming and business communities also involved.The Government has now moved towards a company-based structure, with the board of directors given the final authority to make decisions.

The restructuring is part of the Government’s plan to bring all 18 dedicated economic centres under a common management system. The main dedicated economic centres are located in areas including Narahenpita, Dambulla, Veyangoda, Meegoda, Thambuttegama and Jaffna.