Cabinet approval had been granted to remove the Pandu Karanda tree ( Crudia Zeylanica) located in Daraluwa, Veyangoda and was in the centre of a controversy as it stood in the way of the Central Expressway project, Transport and Highways Minister Bandula Gunawardena said today.
The tree was removed over the weekend despite campaigns by environmentalists earlier.
Minister Gunawardena said if they were to change the route of the expressway – Kadawatha – Mirigama section, it would have cost Rs 15 billion more.
He said therefore the cabinet approval was sought to remove the tree.
He said they have found 12 other trees which are over 40 years old in the area.
A protest was held in front of Attorney General’s Department Colombo today by a group of individuals calling for the Removal of the Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe .
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