News

Another land grab about to take place at Flood Plains National Park today?

Published

5 years ago

2021/02/9

By Ifham Nizam

There was a plan to clear a swath of the Manampitiya-Yakkure forest for road development through the Flood Plains National Park and some local politicians were going all out to fell trees, a senior official of the Department of Wildlife Conservation said yesterday.

Senior environmentalists also told The Island that they hoped President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would intervene to prevent the destruction of the forest.

President Rajapaksa over the weekend refused to endorse the request for cleaning a three- kilometre stretch of forest to construct a road, saying he would consult a team of experts first.

Centre for Environmental Justice, Environmental Scientist, Hemantha Withanage alleged that with the introduction of 1/2020 circular nearly 700,000 acres of forests had become vulnerable.

“When Forest and Wildlife officers visit these areas, they are helpless. They have been forced not to enforce the laws and even remove long standing cases,” Withanage added.

“We got to know that the Secretary to the State Minister of Land Management, State Enterprises Land, and Property Development was to go for a site visit yesterday and a meeting would be held today (09) at Yakkure and a decision would be made to allow road development inside the National Park,” a senior environmentalist claimed.

Further, the lands belong to Flood Plains National Park at Weheragodayaya running to more than 2000 acres would be released for agriculture purposes, said Supun Lahiru Prakash, Convener, Biodiversity Conservation and Research Circle of Sri Lanka.

He told The Island that “In addition Handapan villu, Manampitiya villu, Palle villu, Karapola villu, and Muthugala villu are to be released for agriculture purposes.”

Loss of huge amounts of land from the Flood Plains National Park and Fragmentation of the rest of the land by road construction would severely affect the flora and fauna of the park, Prakash said.

The flood plains are a unique ecosystem type found in downstream Mahaweli River; they will disappear, if the decision is made to expand agriculture, environmentalists warn.

“We kindly request the President to pay immediate attention to the matter and prevent the destruction of the forest.

According to environmental lawyer, Dr. Jagath Gunawardena, the area was declared a National Park under Section 2, subsection 1 of the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance (FFPO).

Therefore, nobody could make any forest clearings, clear or break up any land for cultivation, mining or any other purposes, fell, girdle, tap, burn or in any way damage or destroy any plant or take, collect or remove any plant, Gunawardena said.

There are clear violations set out in Sections 5 and 6. If Section 6 is violated, a perpetrator could be arrested without a warrant, and it was a non-bailable offence, he said.

Public Service Trade Union Federation, Chairman W. H. Piyadasa said that the Forest Department had taken over the land on court orders after reporting the construction of an illegal road from Manepitiya to Yakkure through the Polonnaruwa Flood Plain National Park and the illegal cultivation in the wildlife reserve.

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Navy seize an Indian fishing boat poaching in northern waters

Published

18 mins ago

2026/01/3

Priyan

During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 01 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 11 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan of Kareinagar, Jaffna.

The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing, trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. In response, naval craft of the Northern Naval Command were deployed to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters off Kovilan.

Meanwhile, compliant boarding made by naval personnel resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing boat and apprehension of 11 Indian fishermen who continued to engage in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

The seized boat (01) and Indian fishermen (11) were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.

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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

6 hours ago

2026/01/3

Priyan

Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.

The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.

News

CEB demands 11.57 percent power tariff hike in first quarter

Published

9 hours ago

2026/01/3

Thilina Walpola

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.

According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.

Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.

The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.

In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.

The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.

The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.

Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.

By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️