Multiple groups rally around Bhagya against harassment & deforestation
Multiple groups rally around Bhagya against harassment & deforestation
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Colombo (News 1st); Multiple groups have started to rally around Bhagya Abeyratne, who spoke out against the destruction taking place to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Activists have condemned the harassment of Abeyratne who has become the center of an investigation by the authorities, and claim the authorities are more focused on her comments rather than taking action against environmental destruction and deforestation.
On Wednesday (17) the Socialist Youth Union staged a silent protest in Colombo opposite the Human Rights Commission demanding an investigation for violating the rights of Bhagya Abeyratne.
Privately-owned lands with forest cover near Sinharaja to be acquired newsfirst.lk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsfirst.lk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thursday, 11 February 2021 - 10:25
There are various opinions regarding the intervention of Gampaha District Forest Officer Devani Jayathilaka to protect the plant which has been identified as the oldest surviving Crudia zeylanica plant in the world.
Some accused her of trying to emerge in an unwarranted manner without realizing her powers. Minister C.B. Mr. Ratnayake had also stated in Parliament.
Did Devani Jayathilaka go beyond the limits of her powers?
Environmental lawyer Dr. Jagath Gunawardena has posted a special note on his Facebook account regarding her powers to protect the environment.
The full text is below. One of the most talked-about incidents these days is the intervention of Gampaha Divisional Forest Officer Devani Jayatilake of the Forest Department to save the Crudia zeylanica tree last Sunday.
Posted on January 25th, 2021
By Ifham Nizam and Rathindra Kuruwita Courtesy The Island
The Forest Conservator General has estimated the cost of restoring a section of the Kallaru Forest Reserve, which suffered extensive damage due to the establishment of a village, at Rs. 1.07 billion. The Court Appeal has ordered that SJB MP Rishad Bathiudeen, responsible for clearing part of the forest reserve bear the total cost of the reforestation programme.
Sources close to Bathiudeen said he would file an appeal against the Appeal Court decision in the Supreme Court in the coming days.
Commenting on the estimate, Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare, who filed the petition in 2015 challenging the destruction of a section of the forest reserve said that they were ready to accept the calculation if the Forest Conservation Department felt it could replant the cleared forest area with that estimated sum.
The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from India would arrive in the country on Wednesday, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced at Yattapatha, Kalutara, on Friday evening during the latest Gama Samaga Pilisandara programme.
The vaccine would be given to health and security forces personnel in the frontline of battle against the coronavirus on the next day, he said.
Rajapaksa said that China and Russia, too, would send its vaccine and there would be enough vaccine doses to vaccinate all above the age of 18.
Rajapaksa also spoke about the East Container Terminal. “The previous government signed a MoU with India on the ECT. We can’t just cancel agreements with two nations on a whim. When I met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I spoke to him in-depth and explained our stance on the ECT. The main source of income of the ECT will be the re-export of containers and India accounts for 66% of that transshipment traffic. So we have to understand our situation. 51% of the ECT will r