Archbishop of Colombo reveals of large scale deforestation in Muthurajawela

COLOMBO (News 1st): Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith today (7th), commented on environmental destruction taking place in the vicinity of wetlands in Muthurajawela. " According to gazette 947/13 published on the 30th of October 1996, this area is located to the south of the Negombo lagoon has been identified as a sanctuary. Against such a backdrop, a gazette was issued on the 13th of October in 2006, by the then environment minister Maithripala Sirisena declaring that several lands in the area could be used for development. Recently, the signboards indicating sanctuaries in the area had been removed and replaced with boards claiming private ownership of the land. How was the Muthurajawela forest reserve belonging to the Wildlife Department transferred to a private company?", His Eminence queried. His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith warned the country belongs to the people and not the rulers, corporations, or foreign entities. Venerable Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara Thero of the "Surakimu Sri Lanka" movement and representatives of other environmentalist groups also attended the media briefing.