The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has ordered an immediate halt to construction work on an unauthorised luxury house being built by Air Force Commander Roshan Gunatillake in the Knuckles nature reserve.
Estimated to be worth more than Rs 60 million, the eight-roomed granite-floored luxury residence has been built eight kilometres into the conservation area. This is after Air Marshal Gunatillake purchased 51 acres of land from Roy de Silva, a resident of Kandy more than a year ago. From the Rattota-Illukumbura Road, the residence under construction is eight kilometres away through a cart track.
CEA Chairman Charitha Herath said the CEA had ordered that all work on this residence be stopped immediately. “We are now investigating the matter further,” he told the Sunday Times.
Mr. de Silva confirmed that he had sold the 51 acres of land to Air Marshal Gunatillake some 18 months ago. “There was a Gazette notification that this property was earmarked as part of the Knuckles conservation area. However, I was legally advised that it could be sold since a year has passed after its publication,” he told the Sunday Times. Thus, it was now the responsibility of Air Marshal Gunatillake, he added.
The matter came to light as a result of intensive investigations carried out by a public interest group.
Sajeeva Chamikara, head of the Sri Lanka Nature Forum told the Sunday Times that members of his group “carried out a confidential investigation” to ascertain who were breaching the conservation laws in the Knuckles Range. It was only last month that the range was declared a heritage site by UNESCO.
“We have evidence that Air Force personnel were guarding the building site. We also have details of vehicles that brought material to the site,” he said.
After Nature Forum conducted its investigations, he said, a complaint was made to the Ministry of Lands, the CEA and Matale’s Government Agent. In the complaint, Mr. Chamikara said, he had mentioned about a Wing Commander in the Air Force, resident in Matale, overlooking the construction work of the Air Marshal’s house. A Laggala-Pallegama Pradeshiya Sabha official, who did not wish to be named said yesterday that the wing commander also owned a large extent of land in the area.
Lands Ministry Secretary Ashoka Peiris confirmed that the investigations started only after the Nature Forum brought the matter to the ministry’s attention. They had also listed a few other construction sites. “We are sending a team to the area to carry out investigations,” he said.
The Knuckles Range, like all other conservation areas, comes under the Ministry of Lands. The Ministry is also in consultation with the Attorney General’s Department over a legal issue. Since a Gazette Notification has been issued for the impending acquisition of the land in question, the ministry wants to ascertain whether the responsibility lay with the former owner, Mr. de Silva, or the new owner, Air Marshal Gunatillake.
Matale’s Government Agent Gamini Seneviratne said Nature Forum had sent documents and photographic evidence to him also about the luxury house being built atop a hillock.
He said the District Environmental Committee discussed the illegal construction taking place.“The area has been already declared an ‘Environmentally Protected’ zone and any construction requires an Environmental Impact Assessment, which has not been done,” he said.
Air Marshal Gunatillake was not available for comment.
Group Captain Indrasiri Silva, his Secretary who answered the Commander’s telephone said inquiries regarding the matter should be directed to the Air Force spokesperson Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara. The spokesperson told the Sunday Times “the Commander is not available for comment.” |
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