Cardinal slams govt for failure on Muthrurajawela

Cardinal slams govt for failure over Muthrurajawela protection

by Zulfick Farzan 02-03-2021 | 5:03 AM

Colombo (News 1st); His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has expressed his displeasure to the government for failing to take the necessary steps to protect the Muthurajawela ecosystem, as promised.

He said in a statement that the Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera, State Minister for Wildlife Wimalaweera Dissanayake and the Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority Siripala Amarasinghe had promised not to carry out any project or destructive activities in Muthurajawela during the discussion held at the Archbishop's residence on January 21st.

However, it has been officially announced that Muthurajawela and the surrounding villages will be taken over by the Urban Development Authority, deliberately violating the promises made, said His Holiness Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith.

Therefore, Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has requested the government to remove the signs stating that the area is already owned by a private company and rename it as a Wildlife Conservation Zone in Muthurajawela National Park.