A United National Party councillor and a civil society group have asked the Auditor General to investigate alleged irregularities in Rs. 9.2 million worth of diesel claims for heavy machinery hired by the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council during post-Cyclone Ditwah cleanup work, Ada Derana reported.

UNP Municipal Councillor Susantha Priyalal Palihawadana and Dinesh Lanka Geeganage of the Nuwara Eliya Protection Organization filed written complaints with both the Auditor General and the Assistant Commissioner of Local Government in Nuwara Eliya, calling for a formal inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds.

Speaking to reporters after lodging the complaints, Councillor Palihawadana said the Municipal Council had carried out clearing and development work along the Talagala Oya after the November 2025 cyclone, working under the supervision of the Divisional Secretary and using hired heavy machinery, including backhoes.

The Divisional Secretariat transferred Rs. 2 million to the Council’s official bank account to support the operations, while additional expenses were drawn from Council funds, he said. Approvals for the expenditure were obtained through the intervention of Mayor Upali Wanigasekara, according to the councillor.

While more than Rs. 9.2 million was spent on diesel for the hired machinery and vehicles, the extent of work actually carried out did not, in his assessment, correspond to the cost claimed, Palihawadana told the media. A significant financial irregularity may have taken place in the management of the funds, he said.

The complaint also calls for an impartial inquiry into the hiring of vehicles and the provision of fuel without adherence to proper procurement and tender procedures. Authorities are now expected to review the complaints and decide whether to open a formal investigation.

The Nuwara Eliya case is one of the first formal audit-track complaints over Ditwah cleanup spending and adds to oversight pressure that has built across central-province local authorities since the Cyclone Ditwah cash transfers and reconstruction grants began rolling out late last month.

Source: Ada Derana — Auditor General urged to probe alleged fuel fraud in Nuwara Eliya MC.