Legal action for failing to rehabilitate excavation sites after completion: Amaraweera

Legal action would be taken against those who have not rehabilitated the excavation sites properly after completion and to ensure that such establishments and individuals will not be issued licence, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said.

He wants to ensure whether rehabilitation of sites have been completed after necessary excavation and he has instructed to re-examine whether the work has been carried out properly.

Minister Amaraweera has directed the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) Director General to submit an investigation report within a week on the non-rehabilitation of excavation sites throughout the country.

Accordingly, the investigation report prepared by the GMSB on the rehabilitation of excavation sites was handed over to the Minister on February 15.

"Excavation permits issued by the GSMB have turned some of the excavations into death traps. Some places are even dug deep enough to look horribly large. The Minster said that illegal abandonment of these sites after the end of the excavations "could endanger the lives of humans as well as wildlife."

Therefore, the Minister of Environment instructed GSMB to immediately commence a task to rehabilitate such excavations.

According to the investigation report, there are still 950 non-rehabilitated excavation sites between 2012 and March 2021. Also, rehabilitation work has been completed in 2491 places so far. A bank guarantee is kept for rehabilitation when the excavation permit is issued. So far, 70% of the land on which rehabilitation work has been completed were repaid with a bank guarantee. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)