Public Admin rules out Friday holiday for SAARC

(July 31, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Public Administration ministry has ruled out declaring a public holiday on Friday (Aug. 01) in view of the SAARC summit.

A spokesman for the ministry said they were not even considering declaraing a holiday.

However ministry sources said that unofficially the police have told workers in the high security zones to report to work before 8.30 a.m. or face the consequences of getting held up in traffic blocks.

A senior official of the ministry said that attempts by senior officers to get passes had failed, though they were in the high security zone.

Police earlier announced that Friday was a public holiday, however police spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekara today said "The public administration ministry may be correct that no holiday has been declared".

Police earlier in an official statement as well as at press conferences announced that Friday would be a public holiday.
- Sri Lanka Guardian