News
Minister proposes involvement of cooperatives to halt sand mafia
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Ministry of Environment is planning to involve the cooperative system in mining and distribuion of sand in a bid to end illegal sand mining and bring down the sand prices, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday.
This was proposed during a meeting the Minister had with officials of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau.
“We discussed how to control the price of sand because it was obvious that businessmen are artificially inflating prices. There are also reports of these businessmen mixing high quality sand with other varieties of sand not suitable for construction work. These businessmen also create artificial shortages of sand, the Minister said, adding that three cubes of sand were sold at Manampitiya, a major source of sand, at Rs. 14,000. However, the same quantity was sold in Colombo and other urban areas at around Rs. 65,000, he said.
“Thus, I instructed officials to formulate a plan to address these issues. It was proposed that the cooperative system can be used to tackle most of these issues. As a pilot project, we will create cooperatives of sand miners in six locations in Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Polonnaruwa. We will also set up a system to regulate excavation and transport.”
Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that despite attempts made to ensure that the vulnerable rural communities enjoyed the benefits of natural resources in their areas, a cabal of regional politicians and businessmen controlled and benefited from those resources. “When I was in the Health Ministry, I thought the pharmaceutical mafia was strong, but now I see that the sand and granite mafia is as strong as that. This mafia controls the price of sand and granite and the prices do not reflect the scarcity of the resources.”
The regional politicians were controlling sand and granite extraction and members of the vulnerable rural communities were employed as labourers. Those regional politicians and businessmen also flouted laws openly, he said.
“For example, machines can’t be used to extract sand from rivers. They can only be used to extract sand from river beds but everyone knows that machines are used to extract sand directly from forests. Our objective is to allow the poor people to benefit from these resources but they are only labourers now”
The economic situation was not good and that members of the vulnerable communities should be allowed to enjoy the resources around them, the Ministry Secretary said.
Dr. Jasinghe said sand like all other resources had to be exploited in a sustainable manner.
The government, under heavy Opposition fire over inclusion of a sex website in the Grade 6 English module, as well as overall education reforms, has decided to put on hold reforms in respect of Grade 6.
Cabinet Spokesman and Media and Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announced the government decision yesterday (13) at the post-Cabinet media briefing at the Information Department.
According to him, the decision had been taken at the previous day’s Cabinet meeting, chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Dr. Jayatissa said that education reforms pertaining to Garde 6 had been put on hold until 2027.
The Minister said that other proposed education reforms would be implemented as planned. The Minister said that action would be taken against those responsible for the inclusion of a link to a sex website following investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department and the National Education Institute.
The SJB and several other political parties, as well as civil society groups, have accused the government of promoting an LGBTQ agenda, through the proposed education reforms.
The Opposition grouping Mahajana Handa, on Monday, made representations to the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatta Chapter regarding the controversial reforms, while urging their intervention to halt the project.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (13) vowed to go ahead with his government’s agenda, regardless of the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Emphasising the responsibility on the part of all to contribute to the post-Ditwah recovery efforts, President Dissanayake said that he would have complete faith in the public service.
The President said so at the launch of the re-building Sri Lanka project at the BMICH yesterday.
The JVP and NPP leader said that he wouldn’t take advantage of the death and destruction caused by the cyclone or use the situation as an excuse to reverse their agenda or weaken it.
President Dissanayake said that in spite of many calling for amending the then Budget, in view of the cyclone, the government presented the proposals that were agreed before the disaster struck.
The United States has announced that it will provide the Sri Lanka Air Force with 10 US Navy TH-57 helicopters free of charge.
The announcement was made by outgoing US Ambassador Julie Chung, who stated, on social media, that the helicopters would be transferred under the United States’ Excess Defence Articles programme. The aircraft are Bell 206 Sea Ranger helicopters previously operated by the US Navy.
US sources said that the transfer was intended to strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster response capabilities, following the devastating cyclone that struck the island at the end of 2025 and killed more than 600 people. US officials have framed the move as a humanitarian measure aimed at improving aerial rescue and relief operations.
Fair weather will prevail except for a few showers in the Uva, Eastern, Western and Central provinces and in Galle, Matara and Rathnapura districts
Trump cancels US-Iran meetings, urges protesters to take over institutions
Govt. bows to pressure, shelves Grade 6 reforms
AKD: Govt. agenda on track despite Ditwah disaster
SL to receive 10 helicopters from US
Foreign couple held over alleged biopiracy at Horton Plains
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