The Ministry of Environment today said that the representatives of Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and environmentalists are scheduled to attend next week's discussion on the Muthurajawela wetland at the Ministry of Environment. The ministry commented on their plans for the protection of the Muthurajawela Wetland Sanctuary, citing that it does not belong to the Ministry in terms of scope, but it had intervened to protect the wetland. Also, as the Inter-Ministerial Conference will be held at the Ministry of Environment this Thursday, it is proposed to have extensive discussions with all the relevant Ministers in this regard as well as other environmental damages. “The decisions taken to protect the Muthurajawela Wetland have been criticized by many quarters. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera stated that no damage will be caused to this ecosystem due to the intervention of all relevant institutions,” the ministry said. Minister Amaraweera and a team led by the Secretary to the Ministry Dr. Anil Jasinghe had also paid a visit to the Muthurajawela Sanctuary a few days ago to inquire into the damage caused to the ecosystem. “The Minister witnessed the destruction caused to this ecosystem by various individuals. Accordingly, steps were taken to revoke the environmental license of one iron factory,” it said. Further, the ministry said that the President instructed that the Muthurajawela Sanctuary be taken over by the Urban Development Authority to protect it and that steps be taken to conserve the Sanctuary under the full supervision of the Ministry of Environment as well as other Ministries such as Wildlife and Forest Conservation.