Provincial Council meetings conducted in Colombo by Line Ministries, Departments and other government institutions, will be restricted to one a month, whenever possible, the government has decided.

Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that the new restriction has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on a proposal by Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Bandara Tennekoon.

The Governors and Chief Ministers of the Provinces are of the opinion that having regular meetings and seminars in Colombo, not only disrupt the functioning of Provincial Councils, but also results in increased transport costs, incurred by secretaries and officials, he said.

The Cabinet, Yapa said, also approved a Memorandum by Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya, to entrust the construction of the Divisional Secretariat building in Bandarawela, to the Central Engineering Consulting Bureau.