Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella yesterday said that he is prepared to answer any query raised by the Auditor General with regard to road construction costs.
Kiriella said that the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE) Chairman Sunil Handunetti cannot raise questions as he wants in accordance with the Standing Orders of Parliament.
“Handunetti cannot question us merely because somebody else handed him a set of questions to be asked from us,”Kiriella said. The Minister was addressing senior officials of the Ministry and the Road Development Authority at his office in Parliament yesterday.
He said that Handunetti as COPE Chairman can raise questions based on the observations of the Auditor General after the relevant assessment reports of such roads are tabled in Parliament.
“The Auditor General scrutinizes the relevant reports and makes his observations.
The COPE Chairman can raise questions from us based on these observations only,”Kiriella stressed.
Kirilla added that the COPE Committee met on Thursday evening and Ministry officials responded to the issues raised by COPE members efficiently.