Kurunegala archaeology building demolition report delayed; says DG of Archaeology

by Zulfick Farzan 21-07-2020 | 1:12 PM

Colombo (News 1st); The Department of Archaeology says the report of the committee probing the demolition of a building with an archeological value in Kurunegala will be delayed.

Director-General of Archeology, Professor Senarath Dissanayake speaking to reporters on Tuesday (21) said the committee is yet to reach a definite conclusion regarding the ownership of the site.

In addition, he said Sri Lanka Police must identify all parties connected to the demolition of the site.

Responding to allegations on the delay in enforcing the law as opposed to the law being enforced immediately with regard to an incident in Sigiriya, Professor Senarath Dissanayake said the first step is to liaise with law enforcement authorities, as only Sri Lanka Police can make arrests and file necessary legal action.

Professor Dissanayake said there is only a link of King Bhuvanaikabahu and the Department of Archaeology is not aware of any link to King Parakramabahu, adding the Bhuvanaikabahu link too is based on folklore.

However, on the 18th of July 2020, Professor Senarath Dissanayake said there are several reasons as to why an investigation was launched adding, one is to estimate the losses and to examine whether there is a possibility of restoring the damage.

Earlier he said the committee gathered sufficient data to submit a report.