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Tough new campaign to remove unauthorised structures on beaches
The Coast Conservation Department has launched a vigorous campaign to remove unauthorised constructions on beaches, Director General Prabath Chandrakeerthi told the Sunday Times.
He said so far more than 1,600 unauthorised structures had been issued notices, warning their occupants that if they failed to remove them, the Department would deploy its personnel to demolish them.
“We will have the support of the Special Task Force to provide security for the operations,” he said.
Mr. Chandrakeerthi said the campaign would target the beach stretch from Moratuwa to Mount Lavinia in the next two weeks and the next phase would cover the beach stretch from Mount Lavinia to Uswetakeiyawa in Wattala.
Under Sri Lanka’s Coast Conservation laws, the Department is empowered to remove unauthroised structures within 300 meters from the beach, the Director General said.
He said that among those unauthorised structures to be demolished are 49 temporary houses on the Mt Lavina and Moratuwa beaches. The residents are 2004 tsunami victims. Though they have been provided with alternative houses away from the beach, they have returned to their original places and put up temporary houses.
Mr. Chandrakeerthi said the Department would give the occupants two weeks to produce documents to prove the legality of the structures or temporary houses.
If the occupants produce the documents, their cases would be referred to the Defence Secretary under whose purview the Department comes. They are also entitled to make an appeal.
He said if the appeals are rejected, the occupants would have to remove the structures within two weeks. If they failed to do that, the department would demolish the structures and the occupants would have to pay the demolition cost.
Unauthorised structures along the Dehiwela Mount Lavinia beach. Pix by Sameera Weerasekera
