Courtesy  Hiru News.

The Coast Conservation Department today took action against the forcible acquisition of lands in the coastal belt surrounding the ‘Muhudu Maha Viharaya’ following the revelations through the Hiru CIA program.

Accordingly, the unlawful barbed wire fences were removed.

Muhudu Maha Viharaya which is situated in Pottuvil, in the Eastern Province, is a valuable archaeological site with a Buddhist heritage that has long been the subject to forcible acquisitions by illegal land grabbers.

Hiru CIA has exposed these illegal land plunder on several occasions and the invasions continued and unlawful fences were erected during the curfew imposed to control the spread of covid 19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse’s attention was drawn to the CIA revelations and the Prime Minister had called on Minister S.M. Chandrasiri to look into the matter.

The Coast Conservation Department officials accompanied the Minister on inspection and confirmed the revelations of the Hiru CIA program.

Coast Conservation Officers have been advised the people to remove the unauthorized barbed wire poles.

However, the wire fences had not removed.

Accordingly, the Coast Conservation Department officials today removed the barbed wire fences that had been erected in the area.