The Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) has temporarily suspended the party membership of Agrapatana Pradeshiya Sabha chairman Kadir Selvam.

The party revealed that the PS chairman’s membership has been suspended for violating quarantine regulations, pending a disciplinary inquiry. 

According to reports, PS chairman Kadir Selvam, a resident of Albion Estate in Agrapatana, had been self-quarantine due to the risk of Covid-19 in the estate.

However, he had ignored the instructions to stay at home and instead had attended several meetings in Kandy and Talawakele areas, which were attended by a number of Ministers and local councilors.

He had reportedly attended three meetings, which were also attended by ministers and MPs, without informing the CWC general secretary that he had been directed to self-quarantine by health authorities after being subjected to a PCR test.

Kadir Selvam had later tested positive for Covid-19.

Meanwhile the general secretary of the CWC and State Minister Jeevan Thondaman and several others are self-isolating after being identified as close contacts of the Covid-19 infected PS chairman.

The state minister has been placed under self-isolation at his residence at Ceylon Workers’ Congress headquarters in Kotagala yesterday (23) after being identified as a close contact of Selvam from December 17-19.

Minister of Wildlife and Forest Conservation C.B. Rathnayake and MPs Nimal Piyatissa and Marudapandy Rameshwaran, who had attended the Talawakelle urban development meeting, have also been placed under self-isolation.

Meanwhile former minister S.B. Dissanayake is also self-isolating after taking part in a meeting attended by minister C.B. Rathnayake.

In addition, 10 persons including Talawakelle-Lindula mayor, chairmen of Nuwara Eliya, Kotagala, Ambagamuwa, Norwood and Maskeliya Pradeshiya Sabhas as well as two regional media correspondents have also been placed under isolation.

State Minister Thondaman had joined a meeting convened in Colombo recently to discuss estate workers’ salary issues.

According to reports, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva also joined the said meeting held at the Ministry of Labour on Monday (21).