PM CONCERNED OF INJUNCTIONS AGAINST GARBAGE DISPOSAL

KESBEWA MC CASE DRAGGING FOR TOO LONG:

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe raised concerns as to how courts can issue interim injunction orders on garbage dumping when it has been declared an essential service.

The Prime Minister, replying to a question posed to him by JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake, said the problem in metropolitan Colombo and adjoining cities is not the garbage collection, but disposal.

The Premier also urged the Kesbewa Magistrate’s Court to give its verdict soon on a case pertaining to garbage dumping at Karadiyana.

“I learnt that an interim order has been issued prohibiting garbage dumping at Muthurajawela till July 20. When the courts start issuing restraining orders like this, waste disposal in cities become problematic.The spread of dengue and other health issues will aggravate.This is a serious issue and I direct the attention of the House to it. The Municipal Council, Police and Army are ready to intervene.The courts should also act responsibly during this crisis situation,” he said.

“The case at the Kesbewa Magistrate’s Court has dragged on for three weeks now. I urge to expedite it and give the ruling. If we were not satisfied we can appeal to the High Court then. If we can use the Karadiyana dump site, then we can temporarily solve the matter without harming the environment in Muthurajawela,” he noted.

The Prime Minister also said the courts have a responsibility to summon the relevant public officials and groups and inquire their positions too, before making the ruling.

Wickremesinghe said garbage disposal has become a problem in Colombo, Kolonnawa, Kaduwela, Biyagama and Kelaniya areas. “We asked Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka to shoulder the task of garbage disposal and Minister Faiszer Musthapha to make sure LG bodies collect the garbage properly. We want to come up with a durable solution to waste management without creating another garbage mount like Meethotamulla,” he said.

He added the Government has allocated Rs 2 billion for the Aruwakkalu Sanitary Landfill Project in Puttalam in 2017 and another Rs 4 billion in 2018. “Once constructed, we can use it for 20 years.The World Bank too agreed to support this project,” he said.

The Premier observed that the Kandy Gohagoda dump site has also reached the maximum capacity.He said a new sanitary landfill will be constructed in Kandy.

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