Colombo Mayor Vrai Kele Balthazar recently adjourned the inaugural general meeting of the Colombo Municipal Council for 10 minutes following objections from opposition members regarding the legality of the meeting agenda.
Jana Balawegaya Municipal Councilor Roy Bogawatte raised the issue during the open session, stating that, according to the Municipal Council Ordinance, the agenda must be circulated to all members at least four days in advance. However, the agenda for this session was reportedly distributed only moments before the meeting commenced.
Councilor Bogawatte questioned both Mayor Balthazar and Colombo Municipal Commissioner Palitha Nanayakkara during the proceedings, inquiring whether this was an oversight. In response, both the Mayor and the Commissioner admitted it was a mistake and assured members that such an error would not be repeated in the future.
Following this, Samatha Jana Balawegaya Councilor Mahendra Silva cautioned that forming standing committees based on an improperly circulated agenda would render those committees illegitimate. He then proposed that the meeting be adjourned and reconvened on another day to ensure procedural compliance.
Deputy Mayor Hemantha Kumara supported a temporary adjournment, suggesting the meeting be paused for ten or fifteen minutes. Acting on this suggestion, Mayor Balthazar announced a ten-minute adjournment and exited the session accordingly.
