Don’t be pressured regarding land reclamation: President

June 03, 2016 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed officials to adhere strictly when implementing the government’s decision to prohibit unauthorized land reclamation in the Western Province. "I will always stand up on behalf of the officials who are taking the correct decision," he said and requested those officials to inform him without any hesitation if such incidents of undue pressures occurred. President Sirisena further instructed the officials to suspend all permits given previously for land reclamation in the province immediately. He was speaking at the Gampaha District Special Coordinating Committee meeting held at the Siyane National College of Education in Veyangoda, Thursday. The President said that the people living in the Gampaha district had faced this situation as a result of the illegal land reclamation in the district and it is a prerequisite to pay special attention in this regard when implementing development plans. "One of the main reasons for this disaster is the lack of a proper method to maintain the irrigation system," he said. He then instructed the officials to implement a comprehensive plan in this regard. Implementation of a systematic strategy for the waste management, which is a major issue in the district, was also discussed at length during the meeting. Progress of the current development projects of the district as well as regarding the future development plans were also discussed.