Minister Pressurises Wildlife Dept. Z14 Km Road Through National Park in Polonnaruwa Zminister Roshan Ranasinghe Leading the Charge
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TRANSFERRED »SEE PAGE 6 »SEE PAGES 8 & 9 »SEE BUSINESS PAGE 1 »SEE PAGE 7 GENERAL PREVENTIVE GUIDELINES For verified information on the coronavirus (Covid-19) contact any of the following authorities Suwasariya Ambulance Service 1999 Health Promotion Bureau Quarantine Unit 0112 112 705 1990 Epidemiology Unit 0112 695 112 Govt. coronavirus hotline 0113071073 PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL TASK FORCE FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES Telephone 0114354854, 0114733600 Wash hands with soap for 40-60 Wear a commercially available mask/ Maintain a minimum distance Use gloves when shopping, using Use traditional Sri Lankan greeting Always wear a mask, avoid crowded Hotline 0113456200-4 seconds, or rub hands with alcohol- cloth mask or a surgical mask at all of 1 metre from others, especially public transport, etc. and discard into at all times instead of handshaking, vehicles, maintain distance, and wash Fax 0112333066, 0114354882 based handrub for 20-30 seconds times in public places in public places a lidded bin lined with a bag hugging, and/or kissing hands before and after travelling Email [email protected] Minister pressurises Wildlife Dept. z14 km road through national park in Polonnaruwa zMinister Roshan Ranasinghe leading the charge BY MAHEESHA MUDUGAMUWA Speaking to The Sunday Morning on Sunday Morning that State Minister Assessment (EIA), the DG stressed vicinity of the area in which this road Friday (20), Chamikara said the plan is Ranasinghe had requested, on behalf that it should be done by the party that is planned, and therefore, elephants State Minister of Land Management Affairs, State Business to carpet this road from Manampitiya in of the villagers in his electorate, requests the approval. will be at risk of losing their habitat Lands, and Property Development Roshan Ranasinghe has the National Park to Yakkure; he added permission for them to build a road. “Therefore, since this is a request as well as poaching. allegedly been exerting pressure on wildlife officials to obtain that if that is done, it would give rise “Considering the proposal, we have from the villagers, we have requested He also alleged that the State Minister approval to cut a nearly 14 km road in the middle of the to various environmental problems. decided to take a decision on whether the Divisional Secretary to do the has planned to use a bulldozer to cut Polonnaruwa Jalagalum Valley National Park, according to When contacted, Department the road access can be provided or needful,” he said. this road, which would pave the way of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) not,” Sooriyabandara said. According to Chamikara, the for timber smuggling and large-scale Environmental Conservation Trust (ECT) Executive Director Director General (DG) Chandana When asked whether the Department Handapana arch, which is frequented sand mining in the Mahaweli River. Sajeewa Chamikara. Sooriyabandara confirmed to The is conducting an Environmental Impact by elephants, is also located in the Contd. on page 2 ESTATE WORKERS DAILY WAGE No reprieve ‘RPCs refusing despite profits’ Probe on areca Regional plantation Reforms, Tea and Rubber companies are refusing to pay Estates-related Crop Cultivation, estate workers a daily wage Factories Modernisation, and Tea nut racket of Rs. 1,000 despite turning and Rubber Export Promotion The investigation launched Sunday Morning learnt. a considerable profit, State Kanaka Herath charged. by the Criminal Investigation The investigation has been Minister of Company Estate Contd. on page 2 Department (CID) regarding ordered by Acting Inspector the alleged areca nut (karunka General of Police (IGP) puvak) re-exporting racket, Chandana Wickramaratne which has been conducted last week, following the in violation of the free trade revelations made by our sister agreement between India and paper Aruna. Sri Lanka, is still ongoing, The Contd. on page 2 Digana tremors to continue? z Mahaweli Authority launches study BY SARAH HANNAN to take place, as the earth undergoes weathering changes, The tremors and other seismic Geological Survey and Mines activities that have been reported Bureau (GSMB) Chairman Anura since August in the Victoria Walpola said. Reservoir area will continue Contd. on page 2 A daily wage earner was seen resting his eyes in front of the wholesale storage complex on Bastian PCOI ON EASTER SUNDAY ATTACKS Mawatha on Friday (20) PHOTO SAMAN ABESIRIWARDANA Documents for AG delayed The handing over of Easter Sunday attacks, to O/L EXAM DATES RESTARTING TOURISM documents related to witness the Attorney General (AG), statements recorded by the would be delayed, The Sunday Several proposals Presidential Commission of Morning learnt. Covid situation Inquiry (PCoI) probing the Contd. on page 2 to be monitored submitted CAPITAL HEIGHTS The Ministry of Education and the Department BY SKANDHA GUNASEKARA of Examinations stated that the date to hold Several proposals have been submitted CAPITALRS. 34 MILLION HEIGHTS the upcoming G.C.E. Ordinary Level (O/L) with regard to the reopening of the tourism RS. 34 MILLION examination for 2020 will stand as 18 January industry for international tourism, including UPWARDS 2021, but the Covid-19 situation in the country the 14-day quarantine for all foreigners as well UPWARDS will be monitored continuously, The Sunday as the obtaining of a Covid insurance, and is Morning learnt. awaiting approval of the Ministry of Health. Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris stated: “We have discussed with the health CAPITAL HEIGHTS“Ensuring the health and safety of the students authorities and formulated a multitude of RS. 34 MILLIONwill be our foremost responsibility. proposals in line with Covid guidelines. VISIT OUR Contd. on page 2 Contd. on page 2 UPWARDSWEBSITE CAPITALVISIT HEIGHTS+94 OUR 763112233 RETURNING GARBAGE CONTAINERS TO UK RS.35SHOW APARTMENT MILLIONWEBSITE UPWARDSRS. 34 MILLION READY FOR INSPECTION UPWARDS PROJECT NEARING+94 763112233 COMPLETION VISIT OURNo space on ships SHOW APARTMENT WEBSITESri Lanka Customs is Colombo Port hampered due allocate necessary space to VISIT OUR facing difficulties securing to the increasing number of reship the remaining waste +94 763112233WEBSITE space on ships to reship the Covid-19 cases that were containers back to the UK,” READY FOR INSPECTION SHOW APARTMENT www.capitalheights.lk SHOW APARTMENT +94 763112233 waste containers, which reported from the port Superintendent of Customs READY FORREADY INSPECTION FOR INSPECTION are currently held at the premises, and the restriction Lal Weerakoon told The PROJECT NEARING COMPLETION Katunayake Free Trade Zone in shipping movements Sunday Morning on Friday PROJECT NEARINGPROJECT NEARING COMPLETION COMPLETION (FTZ), to the UK. the world is facing, we (20). “With the operation in the have found it difficult to Contd. on page 2 2 the sunday morning FOCUS/NEWS Sunday, November 22, 2020 COLOMBO PORT OPERATIONS Returning to normalcy BY MAHEESHA MUDUGAMUWA end of this week and there wouldn’t be any Urging the management to strictly essential items in short supply. implement the decisions taken to control Following the re-emergence of However, admitting that there is a the virus equally, the union member Covid-19, which hampered the usual serious issue in handling operations, Gen. noted that the management feared port operations of the Colombo Port for Ratnayake said: “We had a serious issue unions would launch a protest against the several weeks, mainly due to the due to the coronavirus situation. The management at this time, citing that as the low employee turnout, the Sri Lanka Port is situated in the worst area of the reason behind the Government declaring country; a majority of port workers live SLPA operations an essential service. Ports Authority (SLPA) last week said in the Gampaha District as well as in the No delays its operations have now returned Bloemendhal, Modara, and Mattakkuliya A week ago, the SLPA posed a huge to normalcy, thereby assuring the areas. These areas have now been severely threat to the continuous supply of daily continuous supply of essentials to affected by the ongoing pandemic. Around essentials to the market, as over 40 vessels the local market. 30% of workers are from Gampaha and have already bypassed without unloading more than 600 quarters of the SLPA are the containers at JCT due to a lack of According to the SLPA, operations at situated in these areas.” employees. As a result, concerns were the Jaya Container Terminal (JCT) have He told The Sunday Morning that in raised regarding the continuous supply of now reached the maximum capacity, while spite of these issues, the SLPA was running essential food. operations at the Colombo International the Port 24/7. It is learnt that many ships that were Container Terminals (CICT) have reached “We need a large number of employees scheduled to unload at JCT had bypassed almost 50% as of Thursday (19) and are to operate the JCT. The Port’s activity and instead gone to the nearest other Colombo Port PHOTO ©WIKIPEDIA expected to reach full capacity by the end of revolves around the JCT and we had destinations due to the Covid-19 threat, this week. 30 Covid-19-positive cases plus 200 of any description necessary or required to Niroshan noted that the declaration of port after 30 employees tested positive for Speaking to The Sunday Morning, SLPA first contacts. They have been sent to be done by or in connection with the SLPA operations as an essential service was a Covid-19. The authority has also requested Chairman General Daya Ratnayake said quarantine. This is not a management established by Section 3 of the Sri Lanka direct attempt to avert any possible union some vessels to divert their destinations that employees are now returning to work, issue.