• Environment Min. in charge of Coastal Conservation/Resources Mgt. Dept. 

The Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic, and Ocean Resources stated that it has no authority to intervene in illegal constructions along the coastal line, as the responsibility lies with the Department of Coastal Conservation and Coastal Resources Management, which currently comes under the Ministry of Environment.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic, and Ocean Resources, Rathna Gamage said that although the Department was previously under the Fisheries Ministry, it was moved to the Environment Ministry around 2015. 

“Even if a jetty is to be built on the coast, we must obtain permission from the Coastal Conservation and Coastal Resources Management Department. They are the ones taking the necessary measures in this regard.”

Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody was unavailable for comment.

The clarification comes as the Department has identified nearly 2,500 unauthorised constructions along the country’s coastal belt. Its Director General Professor Turney Pradeep Kumara had said that these structures violate coastal regulations and pose serious threats to the environment.