Kandy - Governor of Central Province, Tikiri Kobbekaduwa has charge sheeted the Mayor of Kandy on 14 counts, including failure to take adequate measures to collect arrears of rates and taxes amounting millions of rupees up to the second quarter of 2008.

The arrears of rates and taxes up to the second quarter of 2006 have gone up tremendously as a result of the failure of the council to take appropriate measures to recover the dues and credit them to the municipal council fund, the Governor has told the Mayor.

The Governor has accused the Mayor and the council of failure to take adequate legal action to recover rentals from the company which has taken over the municipal car-park in accordance with the lease agreement signed on 08.12.2005. Arrears of rentals on the car-park constructed at a cost of several millions rupees have risen sharply.

The governor has also accused the Mayor of failure to take steps to go before a higher court of law against an injunction order by the District Court of Kandy in a case with regard to the municipal car-park although the Municipal Commissioner had recommended it.

Among other charges are, failure to take steps to remove unauthorized constructions in the Kandy, not selecting a qualified tenderer for the clearance of garbage till November 09, 2008 and the issue of distress loans to the employees of the municipal council in violation of the priority in the waiting list, leaving the country to attend a conference in Korea from 21-23 of April 2008 without obtaining authorized leave.

The Governor has also charged the Mayor for not taking action to secure the block of land at Katugastota at No. 172 to the extent of five perches which belongs to the municipal council from an encroacher, not taking steps to reconstruct the building of the municipal library gutted by fire on 20.02.2007, failure to take proper steps on administrative measures to collect revenue from certain municipal land at Dangolla Deveni Rajasinghe Mawatha, Wakarewatte and No. 138, Colombo Street, Kandy.

The Mayor has been told to explain within a month.