News

Wildlife and Forest officers angry over circular preventing legal action against govt. institutions

Published

5 years ago

2021/02/21

Sahan Weerasooriya

Against environmental degradation

by Ifham Nizam

Wildlife Conservation Department and Forest Department officers are up in arms over a circular which prevents them from filing legal action against government institutions which permit deforestation and other illegal acts in violation of the Fauna and Flora Ordinance.

“This is tantamount to turning a blind eye when the country’s forests are being destroyed”, a Wildlife Department officer said, referring to the directive by the Secretary to the State Ministry of Wildlife Protection, Adoption of Safety Measures, Construction of Electrical Fences and Trenches and Reforestation and Forest Resource Development.

“We are being discouraged from instituting legal action against culprits just because they are government institutions”, he said.

“We strongly believe that the circular entitled “Procedures to be followed in taking legal action against public institutions” lead to discourage the authorized officers of the Fauna and Flora Protection (Amendment) Act No. 22 of 2009 and the Forest (Amendment) Act, No. 65 of 2009 from taking legal action,” said Convener, Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle of Sri Lanka, Supun Lahiru Prakash.

Environmentalists believe that deforestation is against the vision of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in environment conservation and sustainable development in the country.

The Secretary of Defense also said recently that he has found some misconduct on the part of some Divisional Secretaries in issuing licenses to clear forest lands and it should be prevented.

The officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Department of Forest Conservation have enough expertise to do their job and there is no need to consult the line ministry in this regard, the officers said.

Destroying the country’s natural resources including forests and wildlife should be addressed immediately whether those involved are public officers or private individuals, they pointed out.

“If we have to wait until the line ministry gives instructions, it will be too late. Stipulating guidelines to officers of the relevant departments (The Department of Zoological Gardens is also included in the circular) on taking legal action is not practical at a time environmental degradation is happening in a big way”, they protested.

Citing an example, they claimed that a group of organized persons led by an officer of the Medirigiriya Divisional Secretariat had illegally entered the Somawathiya National Park and replaced the boundary posts on Wednesday and Thursday, and illegally encroaching around 3,000 acres of lands belonging to the national reserve.

“If the wildlife officers of the relevant area wait until the instructions come without taking any action what will be the outcome?, they queried urging the President to take immediate action.

All News Advertisement

Latest News

President meets senior officials of the Urban Development Authority

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

A discussion between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior officials of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) was held this afternoon (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting focused extensively on new development projects planned by the Urban Development Authority. The President emphasised the need to ensure that the budgetary allocations made for these projects in the current year are utilised effectively within the same financial year.

Detailed discussions were also held on projects planned to be implemented jointly by multiple institutions, including the importance of holding consultations with all relevant agencies to reach final decisions and the need to clearly define responsibilities for each institution in both implementation and maintenance phases of the projects.

Attention was drawn to key initiatives such as the Kelani River flood control project, water management projects in Colombo city and the Beira Lake restoration project. The need for a dedicated programme for low-income housing in areas such as Ratmalana and Moratuwa was also highlighted. During the discussion, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake underscored the importance of introducing a structured management framework for the effective coordination of certain projects.

Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Eranga Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Senior Professor Kapila C.K. Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), M.G. Hemachandra and the Heads representing the Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) and the Condominium Management Authority (CMA) were also present at the meeting.

(PMD)

News

CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

The Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the Kelaniya Branch of CEAT Sri Lanka has made a financial donation of Rs. 1,148,000.00, a day’s salary of its members to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund established to support the restoration of livelihoods and the rebuilding of areas affected by cyclone Ditwah.

Secretary of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, D.G.S.D. Navaratne, handed over the donation to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabhath Chandrakeerthi at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).

Treasurer of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, Y.P.I.C. Karunathilaka, together with members of the Executive Committee, were also present on the occasion.

(PMD)

Latest News

Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum

Published

6 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed on an official visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in several high-level academic and diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of education, development studies, research collaboration, and international partnerships.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with Ms.Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, at the UK Department for Education, to discuss areas of cooperation in education and related sectors. She is also expected to meet Ms.Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, for discussions on matters of bilateral interest and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Ms.Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the sidelines of the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a public event at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and she will also take part in the ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, followed by a question-and-answer session with scholars and students.

The visit is expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s engagement with academic institutions, international development partners, and Commonwealth member states, particularly in the areas of education, research, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]