President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has ordered the establishment of an “Office of the Commissioner General of Essential Services” at the Prime Minister’s Office to coordinate recovery efforts and restore normalcy for those affected by the ongoing disaster.
The office will operate under the leadership of the Director General of Essential Services and serve as a central operations hub. It will bring together key ministries, including Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government; Transport, Highways and Urban Development; Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation; and Housing, Construction and Water Supply, along with relevant departments and agencies under their purview.
Other institutions will include the Sri Lanka Railways Department, Department of Irrigation, National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Ceylon Electricity Board, Road Development Authority, and Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation.
A team of Tri-Forces officials will also be assigned to the centre.
The President stressed that the new office must function as a unified coordination point to ensure efficient and integrated response efforts across all agencies.
The directive was issued during a meeting held this morning (Nov. 30) at the Presidential Secretariat to assess urgent measures needed in the aftermath of the disaster, the President’s Media Divisions said.