News

Villagers miss opportunity to brief President on environmental problems

Published

2 years ago

2021/04/12

Sahan Weerasooriya

Postponement of presidential visit

By Ifham Nizam

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday put off a scheduled visit to a village under his Disucssion with Village programme. The goverment attributed the postponement of the presidentia visit to his busy schedule. Sources, however, said it was also due to a controversy over the conduct of a local politician.

A special team would look into the matter prior to the President’s visit, sources said.

Villagers and environmentalists yesterday waited at Weliweriya in Uruwala to meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to bring to his notice environmental problems caused by piggeries and poultry farms.

Haritha Mithuro Oragniser, Sarath Kumara, whos is also a resident of the area, yesterday said that despite a Court Order the culprits were continuing to pollute the area, particularly a canal and paddy fields.

“We sought the assistance of the Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) and will also take up the matter with the President,” he added.

Residents of the Weliweriya–Uruwala area complain of an unbearable stench from the pultry farms and piggeries.

Janaka Withanage, CEJ Policy and Advocacy Officer yesterday said that although the Environmental Act did not allow the establishment of any industry in residenitlal areas, the owners of the farms carried on regardless.

“There are four large scale piggeries in the area and a water catchment area is polluted due to waste released from them. The residents of the area say that there are about 1,500 animals in one piggery.”

Villagers said that large scale burning of polythene and offal caused environmental pollution.

“It is a clear violation of the right of the people of this area to live in a clean environment,” CEJ Environment Officer, Indika Rajapaksa said

Residents of the area have set up a movement called the ‘Green Friendly’ Environmental Organization to deal with environmental degradation in the area, and have notified the relevant parties, but to no avail.

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Stay on course and don’t go back to the past – Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy

Published

4 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

Former Governor of the Central Bank delivering the keynote address at a high profile Webinar hosted by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka today (24) said that Sri Lanka must implement the structural reforms proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) without relaxing like in the past or else we will be in a deeper economic mess.

The webinar was titled ‘What is next for Sri Lanka in the wake of the IMF programme’

News

Sustainable economic development goals cannot be achieved unless attention is paid to mitigating climate change – Sagala Ratnayake

Published

5 hours ago

2023/03/24

Priyan

President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake said sustainable economic development goals cannot be accomplished without taking steps to mitigate climate change.

He said this while participating in the 10,000 sapling planting program organized by the LEO Youth Vision 2048 Club and the LEO Club at the Royal College, Colombo on Thursday (23rd).

This program was organized in view of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s birthday, which is today (24), and the required plants were distributed to the main schools of the Colombo District.

News

SF claims thousands of police and military personnel leaving

Published

17 hours ago

2023/03/24

Thilina Walpola

By Saman Indrajith

Thousands of police and military personnel had left the services recently as they did not want to carry out illegal orders, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament yesterday. According to the war-winning army commander 200 policemen have resigned during the past two months and 25,000 soldiers have left the army during the last two years.

“We urged the law enforcement and military officials not to follow illegal orders. We will reinstate them with back pay,” he said.

Fonseka also urged the President and the government MPs not to take people for fools.

“Sri Lanka owes 55 billion dollars to the world. Ranil’s plan is to borrow another seven billion during the next four years. So, in four years we will owe 62 billion to the world.

Ranil and his ministers ask us what the alternative to borrowing is. These are the people who destroyed the economy and society. They must leave. Then, we will find an alternative and develop the country,” he said, adding that the IMF loans had made crises in other nations worse.

“Ranil says that by 2025, we will have a budget surplus as in Japan, Germany and South Korea. These countries are economic power houses, and this comparison is ludicrous.”