The explosion of domestic gas cylinders that left a trail of destruction, including several deaths in 2021, was a plot orchestrated by the chairman of the Litro Gas Company, Anil Koswatta.
The two ministers who were in charge of the subject, Bandula Gunawardene and Lasantha Algiyawanna, hushed up the matter for obvious reasons.
Former Executive Director of the Consumer Affairs Authority Thushan Gunawardene elaborated on the matter in a talk show entitled “Truth with Chamuditha,” conducted by Chamuditha Samarawickrama. The full interview with Tushan Gunawardene was carried on the Samarawickrama YouTube channel.
Mr. Gunawardena, who left for Australia for safety owing to life threats, has been working in Australia since. He revealed this while giving a special interview to Chamuditha Samarawickrama.
Speaking further, he said that he was asked not to raise this gas issue again and that they tried to give him money as an inducement, and a former cabinet minister who is currently a member of parliament also made an attempt to give him money.
Mr. Tushan Gunawardena also stated that he has given an affidavit to the Court of Appeal stating all the facts he knows about these shady deals and transactions.
Mr. Gunawardena, who is an IT expert by profession, was appointed as a director of the Consumer Authority by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
“The main culprit in this lethal gas issue is none other than Anil Koswatta. He is an outright smuggler. He fulfilled someone’s wish. Anil Koswatta and the former board of directors should take responsibility for this.
The butane-propane composition of the gas they introduced is inconsistent.
They obviously knew it was going to explode. I have written about these incidents in an affidavit on gas leaks, which is now before the Court of Appeals.
I also notified the two ministers, Bandula Gunawardene and Lasantha Alagiyawanna.
The letter I wrote in red was forwarded to the two ministers, the chairman of the consumer authority and the secretary to the trade minister, on May 21, 2021.
The president’s secretary, Dr. PB Jayasundara, also knew about the whole episode. They tried to shut me up but failed to take action.
I knew this could be a problem. In our country, people use inferior devices for gas connections. With this new cylinder, the pressure in the cylinder is doubled. We learned about this on April 15. On April 20, an order was given to remove gas stocks from the market. But she failed to listen to me. “
He alleged that after that he received death threats and that ministers Bandula Gunawardena and Lasantha Alagiyawanna were involved in these
He also stated that he is also a respondent in a case currently being heard in the Court of Appeal regarding gas and that he has given all the facts he knows in this regard through an affidavit and that they will be known when the case is heard in the future.