State Minister Lanza wants Gazette acquiring additional 4400 acres to Muthurajawela rescinded

by Saman Indrajith

Rural Roads and Other Infrastructure State Minister Nimal Lanza told Parliament yesterday that the government should not acquire 4,400 hectares of land to increase the size of the Muthurajawela wetland in the Negombo, Wattala and Ja-Ela areas as per a decision taken by the Urban Development Authority.

The State Minister said that the decision had created social unrest and public protests against the government. “His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, too, has opposed this move. This plan to take over 4,400 hectares to the Muthurajawela Wetlands through a gazette notification issued on Oct 07. There has been an original gazette declaring the size of the wetland as 1,447 hectares in 1998. We must protect that area. But the new Gazette has added 4,400 hectares covering a land that has temples, churches, kovils, houses and homesteads of people. It is natural that they come out to streets in protests and go before the courts because those establishments had been there for the past 150-200 years. This issue has been taken up in all churches in the area on Sunday. The issue creates unnecessary problems and public displeasure against our government,” the State Minister said.

“We need to protect the environment and the wetland, but I plead on behalf of the people that this error should be rectified. The new gazette should be withdrawn without further delay and creating unnecessary problems and agitations against the government,” State Minister Lanza said.