The Domestic Textile Allocation Committee (DTAC) under the Textile Development Ministry has allegedly awarded government uniform contracts to 10 traders instead of offering the contracts to Salu Sala and Lanka Fabrics, both State-run institutions. The Textile Development Ministry has decided to report the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Bribery Commission and to the Presidential Investigation Unit next Monday.

Head of the DTAC, W. A. Jayasinghe was not available and is said to have gone abroad.

The DTAC suspects that millions of rupees has been given by private traders to those in authority to procure the tender for uniforms.

Uniforms for school children, security forces, Police, Buddhist monks

and uniforms for various other State sector employees are made on tenders awarded by the DTAC.

Textile Development Minister Mahinda Ranathilaka told The Island that the DTAC should comprise High Official from the Defence Ministry, Secretary to the Textile Ministry, a Director of Customs, a higher official of the Police Department, Secretary to the Education Ministry, Textile Quota Board Director, Textile Training Institute Director General and a high Official of the Treasury, But during the last three years Additional Secretary to the Textile Development Ministry had been acting as Chairman of the DTAC with two other allegedly unsuitable Government officials, he said.

Citing one fraudulent deal, Rathnathilaka said that 300,000 meters of inferior quality textiles for robes for clergy and school uniforms had been imported from China, whereas quality local material was available. Purchase orders had been falsified to state the material was bought locally. The way bills had shown that the material had been imported to Sri Lanka in yards and not in meters.

The Minister said that the 53- Army battalions detailed to Jaffna and Palali areas had complained that their uniforms had faded as the material used for sewing the uniforms were inferior. It was found that the DTAC had imported low-quality textiles smelling of kerosene from China and India to sew uniforms for the three forces. The material had cost Rs.900 million. The DTAC had also mentioned in its bills a number of non-existant companies and one such Company had been offered a Rs.578 million worth contract.

He said that the racket involved in the purchase of Army uniforms was found to be Rs.14,000 million. The fraud of the school uniform was around Rs.Rs.105 million.

The Minister said that he had already submitted a Cabinet paper to nullify the DTAC. "Had the Salusala and Lanka Fabrics been offered the uniform contracts these two organizations could have been developed," he said.