LNP – No exceptions for Dudley Sirisena in tank reservation clean-up: Lal Kantha

Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation Minister K.D. Lal Kantha denied claims that a hotel owned by businessman Dudley Sirisena was spared from the government’s programme to remove illegal structures from irrigation tank reservations.

Addressing a public gathering on Sunday, the Minister dismissed recent allegations that the Parakrama Samudraya was excluded from this year’s clean-up initiative due to Sirisena’s influence.

“These claims are baseless. The selection of reservoirs for this programme is handled by the Department of Irrigation based on a transparent process and within the limits of available funding,” Lal Kantha said. 

He stated that no establishment including any hotel or business owned by Dudley Sirisena is above the law when it comes to protecting the country’s tank reservations.

“We started the programme just yesterday,” he noted. “There are many tanks with illegal constructions, and we are tackling them in phases. This year, we have Rs. 100 million allocated, which means we can’t address every tank at once.”

In response to criticism that Sirisena’s hotel near the historic reservoir influenced the exclusion of Parakrama Samudraya from the programme, Lal Kantha stated clearly, “No one is above the law when it comes to tank protection, not even Dudley Sirisena.”