Wonton destruction of Hanthana environmental zone

The pictures show a vast area of the Hanthana primeval forest reserve being destroyed through the felling of trees 

A vast area of more than 250 acres has been cleared and about 1200 trees have been felled causing extensive environmental damage to the Hanthana primeval forest reserve, an environmental zone rich in bio-diversity.

A private contractor, who received the tender to cut and remove the decayed and fallen trees in an area within the purview of the Janatha Estate Development Board (JEDB), has destroyed a vast area of the Hanthana forest reserve.

The General Secretary of the Organization to Protect Hanthana Amith Senanayake said that the contract to remove the fallen dead trees had been awarded by tender on June 2024. Under the tender conditions the contracted work should have been completed within three months.

“However the contractor, who started the job on September 29, 2024, had cut and removed more than 1200 valuable trees. It is reported that this contract should have been completed on 27.12.2024. The trees cut and removed were of different species and endemic to the environmental zone. None of the fallen or dead trees have been removed. 

“It is a matter of serious concern that the authorities have been moribund inactive regarding this wonton destruction of the highly sensitive environmental zone,” said Senanayake.

OIC Crime Investigation Unit, Kandy Division CI Thilak Samaranayaka, who conducted investigations on the instructions of SSP Anuruddha Bandaranayaka and Senior DIG Lalith Pathinayaka, submitted a report to Kandy Additional Magistrate Wasana Navaratne, who imposed travel bans on Superintendent of the JEDB Sudesh Perera and Senior Asst. Superintendent Chamika De Silva. A senior official of the JEDB said that the two suspects were interdicted in connection with the incident. He said that the JEDB has initiated a separate investigation into the matter in addition to the action taken by the police.  (Translated by J.K D.U Thillakarathne)