• 285 prisoners to receive release via State pardon

The 77th Independence Day celebrations are set to take place this morning (4), centred round Independence Square and the Independence Avenue area in Colombo.  

Speaking at a special media briefing yesterday (3), Police Media Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent of Police Buddhika Manatunga announced that over 1,000 Police officers have been deployed to ensure security during the event. 

Attendees will be screened before entering the venue, he noted.

A special traffic plan will be implemented to facilitate the event, with several key roads in and around the celebration area being closed to the public. Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Road Safety, Indika Hapugoda, advised all invitees to arrive before 7 a.m. and to take their seats promptly.  

Meanwhile, members of the public attending the event should enter via Bauddhaloka Mawatha, where they will undergo security checks near the Rupavahini Corporation premises before being directed to their seats.  

Elsewhere, over 250 inmates detained at prisons across the island will be released today in view of the 77th Independence Day of Sri Lanka, the Prisons Department said. Accordingly, a total of 285 prisoners including six female inmates are slated to receive a special State pardon, the Media Spokesperson for the Department and Prisons, Commissioner Gamini B. Dissanayake said.

The following roads will be closed, with traffic restrictions in place: Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Torrington Junction, Premakeerthi de Alwis Mawatha, the R.S.P. Junction (towards State Administration), the Wijerama Vidya Mawatha, the Independence Avenue (Independence Roundabout towards Maitland Crescent), the Stanley Wijesundara Mawatha (Foundation Mawatha Junction towards Independence Avenue), the Library Roundabout towards the Horton Roundabout, and the Foundation Junction to Independence Avenue.

Residents will be permitted entry upon presenting valid identification, the Police said.

The Police has provided the following alternative routes for vehicles entering Colombo: vehicles from the direction of Nanda Motors can turn right at the Independence Roundabout and proceed via Philip Gunawardena Mawatha, Stanley Wijesundara Mawatha, and Bauddhaloka Mawatha towards Thummulla and the Borella Cemetery, vehicles traveling from Bauddhaloka Mawatha to the Horton Roundabout can use Wijerama Mawatha, and vehicles from the Wijerama Junction to Wijerama Junction can proceed towards the Borella Cemetery, and Thummulla.