Land acquisition for project in Dehigama raises concerns

COLOMBO (News1st): A move by a private company to acquire 65,000 acres of land for a project in Dehigama has drawn severe condemnation due to the environmental impact of the project. "They haven't obtained the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) clearance yet," Samantha Vidyaratna, a Working Committee member of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said. He pointed out that the company had obtained clearance for only 572 acres of land. "If they are going to use 65,000 acres of land, EIA clearance must be obtained for the entire area," Vidyaratna who arrived at the location on Saturday pointed out. He said that a case has been filed in court against this as well. "There are several archaeological sites in the land of the factory," the JVP Working Committee member observed. Police officers who arrived in the area as area residents protested against the move, said they would not allow these activities to go ahead.