Devotees aspiring to trek the Sripada (Adam’s Peak) claim the Divisional Secretariats (DS) in their respective areas were not issuing letters permitting them to proceed, as per the COVID-19 health guidelines issued for the climb.
According to these guidelines, the pilgrims need a letter of permission letter issued by either the Medical Health Officer, Public Health Inspector or the Divisional Secretariat of their area for them to proceed to the sacred site.
The Nallathanniya police stated that a few pilgrims visited Sripada during the first week of the Sripada season and all those permission letters had been issued by the Medical Health Officers and the Public Health Inspectors and not by the Divisional Secretariats.
Nuwara Eliya District Secretary Rohana Pushpakumara stated that the suggestion to issue such a permission letter by the DS offices came up at a meeting held prior to the beginning of the Sripada season 2021. It was also decided to convey this suggestion to the Defence Ministry Secretary and request him to issue a circular to all DS offices throughout the country in this regard.
Such a circular has not been issued yet and the DS offices would begin issuing the permission letters once that circular is issued, the District Secretary further said.