SC prevents CMC from dumping garbage in Muthurajawela

By T. Farook Thajudeen

The Supreme Court yesterday issued an interim injunction restraining the Colombo Municipal Council from dumping garbage at the Muthurajawela sanctuary until 20 July, after hearing a Fundamental Rights petition filed by 35 residents living around the Muthurajawela sanctuary area protesting the dumping of garbage within the sanctuary.

Chief Justice Priyasath Dep and Justice Upali Abeyratne issued this interim injunction against the Colombo Municipality following a submission made by Dr. Sunil Cooray.

The petitioners, who live in close proximity to the sanctuary, had citied the Colombo Municipal Council, its Commissioner, the Urban Development Authority, the Central Environment Authority, Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha, Commissioner General of the Department of Agrarian Development, Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Irrigation Department Director General, Assistant Divisional Secretary of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau and the Attorney General as respondents to the petition.

The petitioners say that Muthurajawela is a sanctuary consisting of 192 distinct species of flora, 209 species of fauna and 102 species of birds, with large paddy fields spread across 635 acres with fresh water canals, marshlands and mangroves spread across 7,000 acres of plush forest.

They complained that the authorities, without considering the protestations of the petitioners, had allowed and facilitated vehicles that carry garbage to enter to the sanctuary without any proper approval or authority and dump garbage with the assistance of 300 members of the Police and Special Task Force.

Chief Justice Dep and Justice Abeyratne issued the interim injunction against the Colombo Municipality after considering the submission of Dr. Cooray with Keith de Mel appearing for the petitioners. Senanie Dayaratne appeared for the CMC. Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Rajaratnam appeared for the Attorney General.