President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed U.D. Chandana Jayalal as the new Chairman of the Central Environment Authority (CEA), effective July 30th.
The sudden removal of the incumbent Chairman, Venura Fernando, has not been explained, according to CEA unions.
A letter undersigned by Secretary to the President, Saman Ekanayake, confirmed Jayalal's appointment and was copied to several officials, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment and the Director General of the CEA.
The CEA unions have expressed strong opposition to Fernando's removal, praising him as an honest official who did not claim his salary.
The unions questioned the timing of the change, citing the ongoing election in the country, and have brought the matter to the attention of the Election Commission and the independent monitoring body PAFFREL.
A union spokesperson revealed that a special discussion would be held today to address the issue, noting that many CEA employees are disheartened by the sudden removal of their chairman.
