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Legal action against Loggal Oya clearing

02 Jul 2021

By Buddhika Samamraweera   The Environment Ministry is to take legal action against those responsible for the constructions and forest land clearings carried out in the vicinity of the Loggal Oya, in violation of the National Environment Act, No. 47 of 1980 as amended. When contacted by The Morning to inquire about this, Environment Ministry Secretary, Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that information has been received that various forest areas have been cleared close to the Loggal Oya. “Accordingly, officials of the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), and other relevant officials visited the areas and inspected the relevant constructions,” he added. Dr. Jasinghe further said that the said group of officials had submitted a report in this regard. However, it was revealed that some of those constructions had been built many years ago, he noted. “It was decided therefore, to file lawsuits against the constructions carried out in violation of the National Environment Act in the relevant areas. Also, a letter was sent to the Mahaweli Authority since the lands in the area around the Loggal Oya belong to it. So the Mahaweli Authority will take necessary action on their side, in the future,” he added. It was recently reported that valuable trees in the lands belonging to the Rideemaliyadda and Meegahakiula Divisional Secretariats around the Loggal Oya have been cut down and that the lands have been bulldozed. Environmental groups had pointed out that the Loggal Oya could also be damaged by the clearings associated with the reservoir, alleging that certain individuals were releasing soil and timber into the reservoir. Attempts to contact the Mahaweli Authority to inquire about the actions that would be taken through it regarding the matter, were unsuccessful.  


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