Rambakan Oya deforestation case on May 3

COLOMBO (News1st):  The petition filed against the clearing of forest lands in the Rambakan Oya forest reserve, was fixed for hearing by the Appeal Court on May 3 today. The petition had been filed by indigenous community leader Uruwarige Wannila Aththo and the Centre for Environmental Justice, seeking a court order to halt the clearing of lands near Pollebadda in Ramabakan Oya. They requested court to rule such activities as illegal, and to issue an order to recover losses caused by the damages. The petitioners had also requested the Appeal Court to issue an interim order preventing the Mahaweli Authority from entering into agreements to give away lands for large scale cultivations. During today's hearing, Additional Solicitor General Palitha Ranasinghe told court that the clearing of lands given by the Mahaweli Authority for maize cultivation has been halted completely at present. The Additional Solicitor General added that he had personally witnessed the site at which deforestation that had taken place before the petition had been filed in court. However, attorney-at-law Ravindranath Dabare appearing for the petitioners, argued that the process of clearing lands is continuing to take place near the Rambakan Oya forest reserve. Accordingly, the Appeal Court ordered that objections can be filed in court on the 23rd of April.