President Sirisena Orders Deployment of Police and Special Task Force To Prevent Massive Scale Environmental Destruction of Muthurajawela Wetlands Sanctuary By Private Construction Company.

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Shamindra Ferdinando

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday directed IGP Pujith Jayasundera to immediately deploy the Special Task Force (STF) to prevent the destruction of Muthurajawela marsh and sanctuary.

President Sirisena also directed that police road blocks be established at entry and exit points as part of measures to stop what he called environmental destruction.

A spokesperson for the presidential secretariat told The Island that President Sirisena had issued directives to the police and other relevant authorities following an on-site visit yesterday morning in the wake of media disclosure of large scale destruction there.

President Sirisena has directed all constructions, filling of land and other unauthorized activities halted immediately. The president was accompanied by Ministers Patali Champika Ranawaka and Duminda Dissanayake.

President Sirisena has intervened following the media exposure of a private development company receiving Agrarian Services Department authorization to reclaim 406 acres of the Muturajawela sanctuary.

The media quoted Sajeewa Chamikara, Director of the Environmental Conservation Trust (ECT) as having said: “This is illegal. You can’t use lands that belong to a sanctuary for commercial purposes on your whims.

This deal was done by former officials in the department in such a secretive manner and the current Commissioner General of the Department didn’t even know when we told him what was going on. After being informed of this, he has promised to take action.”

The private company has paid the department Rs 32 million to reclaim 65,102 perches of wetlands in Thuduwa Bopitiya and Kunjawatta gramaseva divisions.

The presidential secretariat spokesperson said that in case some government authority had issued permits for land reclamation they would be suspended forthwith as directed by President Sirisena, who also instructed punitive action in respect of government servants responsible for environmental destruction there.

President Sirisena has directed that property owned by individuals couldn’t be used even for private purposes if such action threatened the environment there. President Sirisena has further assured that he wouldn’t allow political interference to jeopardize Muthurajawela

Courtesy:The Island