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National interest vs private profit
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Story and pix by Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa
Police recently uncovered the unauthorised excavation of soil from an irrigation tank in Sigiriya by a contractor whose job it was to strengthen the bund of the tank.
Instead of transporting soil from areas outside of the tank area to reinforce the bund, the contractor who had obtained Rs 1.5 million from the Department of Agrarian Services for this purpose, excavated soil from the tank itself as a means of increasing his profit.
In addition, the contractor also altered the flow of water to the tank so-as-to make its waters flow closer to a hotel sited in the vicinity of the tank thus enhancing the beauty of the hotel.
Police took two persons into custody and seized equipment used for the excavation. The suspects were due to be produced in Court.
The contractor was supposed to bring soil from areas away from the tank to reinforce its bunds. The Sigiriya rock is seen in the background
Officials inspect a section of the tank which has been illegally excavated by the contractor
The contractor altered the flow of water to the tank to enhance the beauty of a particular hotel in the vicinity of the tank
Equipment used to illegally dredge the tank were seized by police
A mound of earth illegally excavated from the tank