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New integrated framework to bring all stakeholders together to safeguard and rebuild Central highlands – President
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the isolated functioning of institutions responsible for construction and land management, agriculture, livestock and environmental conservation has posed challenges in restoring the Central Highlands, which were devastated by Cyclone Ditwah. The President further noted that efforts are underway to establish a new integrated framework, bringing together all relevant parties to swiftly safeguard and rebuild the Central Highlands
The President made these remarks during a discussion held on Wednesday (21) at the Presidential Secretariat with representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and relevant government and private sector institutions, focusing on securing the Central Highlands and restoring forest plantations.
It was emphasized that nearly 4,000 landslides have occurred in the Central Highlands due to Cyclone Ditwa and that prolonged unauthorized construction, cultivation activities and lack of proper maintenance have contributed to this situation. The discussion also stressed the urgent need for a national policy to secure the Central Highlands and ensure its preservation for future generations.
The discussion also addressed the need for an Authority empowered under the relevant legislation to oversee these activities and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to expedite the implementation.
Representatives from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) emphasized the necessity of maintaining a dedicated financial fund for these initiatives and confirmed their full support to Sri Lanka for the restoration of the Central Highlands.
Representatives who attended included Country Operations Head, ADB Sri Lanka Resident Mission, Cholpon Mambetova, Senior Agricultural and Natural Resources Specialist at the ADB Sumith Pokhrel and Assistant Project Officer Krishanthi Dabare, UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka Azusa Kubota and programme representatives Wageesha Gunasekara and Sugandhi Samarasinghe.
Also participating were Commissioner-General of Essential Services and Secretary to the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Secretary to the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Water Supply, Engineer L. Kumudu Lal Bogahawatta along with senior officials from the relevant Ministries and heads of other government and private institutions.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Panel has named the following squads for the upcoming Tri-Nation ‘A’ Series and the Four-Day Series.
The Tri-Nation One-Day Series, featuring Sri Lanka ‘A’, India ‘A’, and Afghanistan ‘A’, will be played at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium (RDICS), Dambulla, commencing on 9 June 2026.
The Four-Day Series between Sri Lanka ‘A’ and India ‘A’ will be played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium (GICS), Galle, with the first match scheduled to begin on 25 June 2026.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Panel has selected the following squads to play in the West Indies Emerging Tour of Sri Lanka 2026.
The West Indies and Sri Lanka emerging teams will play two four-day games and three one-day games during the bilateral contest.
The tour will begin on the 8th of June with the first four-day game at MRICS, Hambantota, while the second four-day game will start on the 15th of June at the same venue.
One-day games will be played on the 22nd, 24th, and 26th of June.
The first two one-day games will be played at the SSC, and the final at the NCC.
A two-member ICC delegation that visited Dhaka earlier this week will report its findings and observations to the governing body. According to an ICC media release, directors Dr Mohammed Moosajee and Tavengwa Mukuhlani engaged with “a range of stakeholders to review developments linked to the BCB”.
Moosajee and Mukuhlani arrived in Dhaka on June 1, after which they met BCB’s ad-hoc committee members, including president Tamim Iqbal. The pair also met with members of the BCB’s election commission, with the polls scheduled to be held on June 7.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that the delegation also met with BCB directors who had resigned from the previous board. Among the directors who didn’t resign, Asif Akbar and Ahsan Iqbal Chowdhury were in the group that also met the ICC delegation in a separate meeting on June 2.
Afterwards, Aminul Islam, the former Bangladesh captain who was the BCB president until April, claimed that they urged the ICC to not recognise any election conducted by or under the authority of the ad-hoc committee on June 7 or at any other time. Aminul, who still considers himself the BCB president, said that the BCB’s ad-hoc committee should correct their May 31 press release regarding the ICC delegations’ visit to Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s High Court rejected a writ petition that challenged the legality of the election schedule and voter list for the upcoming BCB elections on June 7.
The bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice Md Ashif Hasan passed the rejection order stating that the petition was not presented properly before it. The petition was filed on May 18, a month and a bit after the country’s sports ministry dissolved the BCB’s board of directors on April 7. They appointed an 11-member ad-hoc committee led by Tamim, the former Bangladesh captain, on the same day.
[Cricinfo]
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