Minister Amaraweera ready to resign if allegation of shipping local sand to the Maldives is proved

By Ifham Nizam

Minister Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday said he would resign if it was proved that a Minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was involved in a racket where sand was shipped from Sri Lanka to the Maldives.

Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), Batticaloa District/National List MP Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam said in Parliament on Tuesday that a Minister of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party was involved in shipping sand to the Maldives.

Addressing a media briefing yesterday, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that as a Senior Vice President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party as well as a Minister, he believed that the resources of the country must not be plundered.

Minister Amaraweera said the Maldives had taken delivery of six and a half cubes of sand recently to be used for water filtering in that country. “I asked GSMB and they said it had been sent by a company in our country and all taxes had been collected by the government. But the sand was not for any construction purpose in the Maldives.”

He said there were politicians involved in sand, soil and granite smuggling. “I know that these politicians are also following these racketeers. Mr. Rasamanickam, MP always seeks publicity. If he has any information about a sand racket, he should submit it to use for action.

Minister Amaraweera also said that mineral resources here were exported by a government-owned company. “It is a government company. The income from it goes to our Treasury. The GSMB said no licence had been issued for sand exports. “Therefore, I responsibly say that there has been no such racket.