4 June 2020 12:00 am
By Lahiru Pothmulla
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed another Presidential Task Force, this time for Archaeological Heritage Management in the Eastern Province.
Archaeological Chakravarthi Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Task Force. The Chief Prelate for the Northern and Eastern provinces, Chief Sanganayake of Thamankaduwa Direction, and Chief Incumbent of Arisimalai Aranya Ven. Panamure Thilakawansa Thera, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Dr. Senarath Bandara Dissanayake, Director-General of Archaeology, Chandra Herath, Land Commissioner General, A.L.S.C. Perera, Surveyor General, Prof. Raj Kumar Somadeva, Senior Lecturer, University of Kelaniya, Prof. Kapila Gunawardena, Medical Faculty, University of Peradeniya, Deshabandu Thennakoon, Senior DIG, Western Province, H.E.M.W.G. Dissanayake, Provincial Land Commissioner, Eastern Province and Dilith Jayaweera, Chairman - Derana Media Network have been appointed as other members. According to the President’s Media Division, the Presidential Task Force for Archaeological Heritage Management in the Eastern Province has been tasked to:
Identify sites with archaeological importance in the Eastern province,
Identify and implement and appropriate programme for the management of archaeological heritage by conserving and restoring such identified sites and antiquities,
Identify the extent of the land that should be allocated for such archeological sites and take necessary measures to allocate them properly and legally and preserve the cultural value of sites of archaeological importance and promote the uniqueness of Sri Lanka - both locally and internationally and make recommendations for the promotion of such heritages.