News
Regulatory rollback tailored for “politically backed megaprojects”— Environmentalists
Investigations have revealed that the government’s controversial easing of environmental regulations appears closely aligned with the interests of a small but powerful coalition of politically connected investors, environmentalists have alleged.
The move weakens key Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements and accelerates approvals for high-risk projects, has triggered a storm of criticism from environmental scientists, civil society groups and even sections within the administration, they have claimed.
Environmental Scientist Hemantha Withanage, Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Justice, told The Island that the policy reversal “bears the fingerprints of elite political financiers who view Sri Lanka’s natural assets as commodities to be carved up for profit.”
“This is not accidental. This is deliberate restructuring to favour a specific group of power brokers,” he told The Island. “The list of beneficiaries is clear: large-scale mineral extraction interests, luxury hotel developers targeting protected coastlines, politically backed hydropower operators, industrial agriculture companies seeking forest land, and quarry operators with direct political patronage.”
Information gathered through government insiders points to four clusters of projects that stand to gain substantially:
Several politically shielded operators have been lobbying for years to weaken environmental checks on silica sand mining, gem pit expansions, dolomite extraction and rock quarrying in the central and northwestern regions.
High-end tourism ventures — especially in coastal and wetland buffer zones — have repeatedly clashed with community opposition and EIA conditions. The rollback clears obstacles previously raised by environmental officers.
At least half a dozen mini-hydro proposals in protected catchments have stalled due to community objections and ecological concerns. The new rules are expected to greenlight them.
Plantation and agribusiness companies with political links are seeking access to forest-adjacent lands, especially in the North Central and Uva Provinces.
“These sectors have been pushing aggressively for deregulation,” a senior Ministry source confirmed. “Now they’ve got exactly what they wanted.”
Internal rifts within the Environment Ministry are widening. Several senior officers told The Island they were instructed not to “delay or complicate” approvals for projects endorsed by select political figures.
A senior officer, requesting anonymity, said:
“This is not policymaking — it’s political engineering. Officers who raise scientific concerns are sidelined.”
Another added:”There are files we cannot even question. The directive is clear: expedite.”
Opposition parliamentarians are preparing to demand a special parliamentary probe into what they call “environmental state capture” — the takeover of regulatory functions by those with political and financial leverage.
“This is governance for the few, not the many,” an Opposition MP told The Island. “The rollback benefits the government’s inner circle and their funders. The public gets the consequences: floods, landslides, water scarcity.”
Withanage issued a stark warning:
“When rivers dry up, when villages are buried in landslides, when wetlands vanish, these will not be natural disasters. These will be political crimes — caused by decisions made today under pressure from financiers.”
He said CEJ was already preparing legal and public campaigns to challenge the changes.
“We will expose the networks behind these decisions. We will not allow Sri Lanka’s environment to be traded for political loyalty.”
Civil society organisations, environmental lawyers and grassroots communities are mobilising for a nationwide protest and legal response. Several cases are expected to be filed in the coming weeks.
“This is only the beginning,” Withanage said firmly. “The fight to protect Sri Lanka’s environment is now a fight against political capture itself.”
By Ifham Nizam
Several ex-Cabinet ministers questioned; Ranil, Sajith, too likely to be summoned
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has initiated an inquiry into the shifting of the Agriculture Ministry situated at Rajamalwatte, to a building belonging to the D. P. Jayasinghe Group of Companies, at Rajagiriya, during the Yahapalana government.
The building was rented for a five-year period at a cost of over Rs 1 bn by the yahapalana government within months after the then President Maithripala Sirisena declared opened the 10-storey building complex.
The CIABOC yesterday morning recorded former yahapalana minister Gayantha Karunatilleke’s statement in connection with the investigation. Later in the day, CIABOC recorded the statement of SJB General Secretary Ranjith Maddumabanadara. Earlier CIABOC summoned former ministers Thalatha Atukorale, Wajira Abeywardena and Lakshman Kiriella. At the time of the finalisation of the deal, KIriella was in the UNP.
Sources said that former PM and President Ranil Wickremesinghe, too, was likely to be questioned in this regard. Responding to The Island queries, sources pointed out even SJB leader Sajith Premadasa was expected to be questioned.
The then Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is on record as having said that the building was rented in keeping with a decision taken by the government and not Parliament.
The UNP-SLFP coalition shifted the Agriculture Ministry to accommodate 16 Sectoral Oversight Committees therein.
Although the government paid as much as Rs. 21.5 mn monthly rent to D.P.A. Jayasinghe Company, the Agriculture Ministry failed to move in for over a year. The then Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake sought Cabinet approval on Dec 1, 2015 to rent the building.
According to inquiries conducted earlier by the Presidential Commission appointed to probe state sector corruption, the Agriculture Ministry sought Cabinet approval for a new building after the then Prime Minister Wickremesinghe submitted a cabinet proposal on 21 September, 2015, to use the Agriculture Ministry building for Parliament’s sectoral oversight committees.
PM Wickremesinghe’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake has told the Commission that public funds could have been saved if the several vacant floors of Suhurupaya belonging to the Defence Ministry had been made available to the Agriculture Ministry.
By Shamindra Ferdinando ✍️
Railway sources said that the damages caused to railway tracks could be more than USD 300 mn.
According to UNDP Rapid Crisis Assessment Sri Lanka’s railroad system, over 278 km of railways were exposed to cyclone-related flooding, including 35 railroad bridges nationwide. This figure reflects flooding only, but other hazards (such as localised debris, landslides, or damage to a single bridge) can also disrupt operations, meaning that even relatively small obstructions can render long stretches of railway non-operational. Like road exposure, railway exposure limits mobility and the capacity of affected populations to access key services and infrastructure.
At the level of divisional secretariats, Colombo and Thimbirigasyaya in Colombo District, Ja Ela in Gampaha District, as well as Mannar Town and Nanaddan in Mannar District all registered over 10 km of exposed railways each.
Commissioner-General of Essential Services B.K. Prabath Chandrakeerthi is on record as having said that only 478 kilometers of Sri Lanka’s 1,593-km railway network were currently usable following extensive damage caused by the recent cyclone.
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker arrived in Colombo yesterday (11) to underscore US interest in defence, trade and maritime security in line with their Indo-Pacific strategy.
The US embassy here issued the following statement: “Under Secretary Hooker will meet with Sri Lankan counterparts to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, focused on deepening economic and commercial ties, strengthening defence cooperation, and supporting Sri Lanka’s economic and maritime sovereignty.
The United States and Sri Lanka share a strong and enduring partnership rooted in our mutual commitment to regional security, economic growth, and prosperity for our peoples. Through close cooperation on defence, trade, and maritime security, we are working together to advance a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific region.
As we continue to build on our strategic partnership, the United States also stands with the people of Sri Lanka as they respond to the devastating impacts of Cyclone Ditwah. We remain committed to working together to address both immediate challenges and long-term opportunities for our two nations, reflecting our ongoing commitment to the U.S.-Sri Lanka partnership.”
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