1 September 2011 12:02 am
A ten member committee of eminent persons has been appointed to give a determination on the national flower by Environment Minister Anura Priyadharsaha Yapa following the controversy over it, an Environment Ministry spokesman said.
He said the reason to appoint the committee was the indecision about the two varieties the light blue Manel (Nymphaea Nauchali) and the bright blue Nil Manel (Nymphaea Stellata) as both flowers are used indiscriminately as the national flower of Sri Lanka at various functions and on various occasions by the government as well as by the public, he said.
The Cabinet in 1986 had decided that the national flower be the light blue Manel (Nymphaea Nauchali). Therefore Manel must be declared national flower, the spokesman said.
The ten member committee headed by Environment Ministry secretary Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga has already started its deliberations the report is to be submitted to Mr. Yapa shortly, he said.
“Mr. Yapa is expected to issue a gazette notification once and for all declaring the ‘national flower’ of Sri Lanka to put an end to the issue, the spokesman added.