SINGHARAJA ROAD PROJECT TO CLOSE

The new road across the Singharaja forest has been stopped:

When Anura Yapa gives orders for stoppage, Lakhsman Yapa is against the decision:

The road that was to be constructed began last Saturday (10th), amongst a lot of protests, chaos and uproars. A lot of environmental organisations showed dissent for this exercise as the Singharaja forest has to be preserved as a World’s National Heritage. A lot of views were aired to protect this forest.
During the United Nations Human Rights sessions now been held in Geneva where Anura Priyadarshana Yapa is participating, it was made to understand that certain irregularities had been identified and discussed in these sessions with regard to wilful damage to the forest because of this road construction exercise. He was given just 3 days to act on this irregular exercise. On the 15th the Minister had informed the Director General Forest Conservation Authority to stop this road construction work immediately.
He also had issued orders to this forest zone should be acquired by the Forest Conservation Department and ordered to prepare a gazette notification in this regard.
However without knowing this the Cabinet Media Consultant Lakhsman Yapa Abeywardena, yesterday at a press conference held at the Government News Department had consented that the road 20 feet in width and 12 kilometres in length is constructed for the convenience of the villagers between Illuokanda and Sooriyakanda instead of the proposed 39 kilometres road. The construction of the former road had been approved by the Government Regional Development Committee.
The earlier decision to construct the road had been done on the instructions of top Government officials across the Singharaja forest. The earlier article published by Gossiplanka news on this subject published could be read from HERE: