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Politicians, cops and businessmen gang up to rape Kebilitta

Published

3 years ago

2022/06/4

By Jagath Kanaheraarachchi

Two former ministers, a senior policeman, a prominent monk and several others are involved in clearing Kotiyagala Forest Reserve in Kebilitta illegally.Over 60,000 acres of forest land have already been cleared, environmentalists complain.The forest reserve is located at Siyambalanduwa Pradesheeya sabha in Moneragala and the land cleared in this area is 20 times bigger that the clearings close to the Wilpattu National Park, recently.

The government has allocated 25,000 acres from this forest reserve for people who were displaced by various development activities in the district. Taking advantage of this, several powerful individuals have started clearing more land, using heavy equipment.Environmentalists claim that the initial allocation of land too was done arbitrarily.The land that is being cleared is the home to many plant and animal species and act as a corridor for animals to travel between Kumana and Yala National Parks.

Environmentalists claim that various powerful groups have taken advantage of the decision by the government to hand over the management of “Other State Forests (OSF)” to Divisional/Districts Secretaries.

Cleared forest areas

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Secretary of the Ministry of Lands issued a circular (02/2021), “Survey and Allocation of Government Lands” on 06 August 2021 informing all the District Secretaries and Divisional Secretaries that the “Forests and wildlife conservations declared by the Director General of Forests in a Gazette and other Government lands other than the wildlife areas gazetted by the Director General of Wildlife should be kept in his custody.”

This gazette has been abused to release forests for various projects that are backed by politicians and their allies, environmentalists claim.Environmentalists also claim that the politicians have instigated the people of the area to seize land from the forest reserve. On 02 June a large group of people, travelling in hundreds of vehicles, entered the forest reserve and started to clear land.

Jayantha Wijesinghe from Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka said that the IGP had instructed regional police chiefs to stop the encroachment of the forest. However, a senior politician in the area has sided the encroachers.

“This police officer has justified the encroachment. Because this man holds a key post, it has been impossible to stop those who try to encroach the forest reserve. It’s time that the government immediately did something to stop this ecological disaster,” he said.

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INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo

Published

3 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.

During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.

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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district

Published

8 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

Color: -Red Warning (Take action) Color: -Amber Advisory (Be prepared) Color: -Green Threat is over

The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.

The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025] is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025

The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:

The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:

Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

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“Census of Population and Housing 2024” Report Presented to the President

Published

9 hours ago

2025/04/7

Priyan

The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.

This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.

The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.

The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.