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Sand diggers put Katunayake Expressway in danger
View(s):By Kasun Warakapitiya
Uncontrolled, illegal removal of sand from the base of the Katunakayake Expressway access road could endanger the structure, maintenance officials have warned.
They are seeking public and police support to stop the illegal activity that has been going on for two months.
Expressway Operations Maintenance and Management, director, S Opanayake appealed for police intervention.
He said pits have been dug near the retaining wall of the access to the expressway off Peliyagoda near the railway track at Wanawasala. Seasand is being gathered illegally every night after midnight.
S. Opanayake
Opanayake said removal of sand from beneath the structure could make it unstable.
He said what is being removed is being replaced with soil that has no commercial value, with the hope that it will deter the theft of sand.
Hand bills were being given to villagers in the area, Opanayake said.
“We have made four complaints to the Peliyagoda Police. Crimes OIC, too, issued a warning yet every night the theft of sand takes place.â€
Meanwhile, Deputy Director Nihal Lodwick, said Rs 800,000 has been spent on repairs. He said sand has been illegally removed over two months.
He has noticed piles of sand in the premises of villagers nearby. They claim that drug addicts are selling the material, while some say they had purchased it from the Road Development Authority.
“The Peliyagoda Police must investigate and assign a night patrol, or else the road could sink,’’ Lodwick said.
The Officer In Charge of the Peliyagoda Police, Ajith Priyantha, said so far, investigators had not been able to nab any suspects.
Caught on camera: A man walking away with a sackful of sand
Illegal removal of sand from the base of the Expressway
Underground cables are exposed as a result of the illegal activity . Pix by Anuradha Bandara