Letters to the Editor
View(s):The President must act now to stop this wanton, wilful destruction
The wanton and wilful destruction of our precious forests and natural environment is taking place at an alarming rate, since of late, according to reports both in the print and electronic media.
Unauthorised clearing of vast stretches of jungle, illegal felling of valuable trees, filling of the much-needed wetlands specially mangrove habitats, large scale encroachments, haphazard sand mining and quarrying etc., have all contributed immensely to both deforestation and degradation of habitat in our motherland.
This sorry state of affairs is no doubt, a grave concern to all patriotic citizens of our country, to say the least.
All governments so far paid either scant attention or turned a blind eye altogether to this matter and confined their political rhetoric on sustainable development, protection of the environment, green economy and all that mostly to election platforms and Parliament.
That said, it is common knowledge that unscrupulous politicians of the past and present with their forceful influence coupled with the unholy patronage extended by corrupt state officials have well and truly brought about this destructive situation that we are facing today.
The country’s forest cover which stood at 44% in 1956, is now reduced to an all-time low of 22% of the total land area!
However, the large-scale multipurpose development projects implemented since independence viz. agriculture, irrigation, power generation, industries, tourism and so on too have contributed to a great extent in this regard, which is understood and unavoidable considering the needs and development of the country.
However, given the alarming nature and intensity of the present illegal deforestation and degradation of environment, it’s high time the incumbent President – a disciplined military officer- focused his attention forthwith to control and contain this national disaster.
The much-expected winds of change for the country and its citizenry under the new President, who has now completed one year in office, are yet to be seen. As such, it is most opportune for the President to direct and entrust the battle-hardened present Army commander who is very effectively and efficiently directing the institutionalized COVID- 19 quarantine programme, to halt these nefarious activities and to save our motherland, so that the well-being of the present as well as future generations is guaranteed.
The newly formed Drone regiment of the Sri Lanka Army could be hugely useful in this operation and with Army cantoments spread throughout the country with ample resources at their disposal, it is fervently hoped that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would do the needful, sooner than later.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
M.R. Pathirage
Via email
Hasty opening up could be risky for future of tourism industry
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asil Rajapaksa should be lauded for heading a task force to plan a successful relaunch of tourism to Sri Lanka, as reported by Damith Wickremasekera in the Sunday Times. At present, travellers globally are obviously impatient to get to a safe holiday destination and Sri Lanka as a sunny holiday island heads most popularity rankings in reputed travel publications. These two factors combined tell us that demand will definitely outstrip supply as soon as the world sees the back of the pandemic. Sri Lanka Tourism will be in a dream situation.
This scenario will hopefully unfold in the future, however, opening up for tourism with the virus rampant in the West and even in Sri Lanka at present, is a different challenge. The Government should ensure that the virus does not act as the instrument of death to the critical tourist revival effort of all concerned. Remember even the President of the USA paid a huge price for mismanaging the COVID campaign.
The biggest challenge facing Mr. Rajapaksa as the head of the task force will be coordinating state and private sector bodies to work towards a common goal. Starting with the health authorities, Department of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority and Immigration, Sri Lankan Airlines and other foreign airlines that operate to Sri Lanka, hoteliers, transport and tour operators, Police and Defence forces, local area PHI’s etc. all will have to play their part to perfection to ensure that tourists and Sri Lanka will be the ultimate winner and not the virus. In order to succeed, meticulous planning, coordination, communication and an unfailing dedication to the common cause will be required. COVID control measures like working in a bubble, PCR testing, quarantine, sterile transportation and most importantly, fast tracked clearance at airports without congregation, need to be planned to perfection.
Any weak link in the chain through incompetence or simply not following the procedure could be counterproductive. This would spell disaster for Sri Lanka Tourism in the long term and we will lose our enviable position as a most preferred destination.
Whilst the writer fully understands the negative economic challenges to all stakeholders due to the prolonged shutdown, the repercussions of haste in opening up, could possibly put at risk the long-term future health of the tourism industry. Therefore, careful thought by all stakeholders is suggested.
Also keep in mind we cannot open the country to tourists and forget about thousands of Sri Lankans craving to come home. Good luck to the Tourism Task Force and the country that surely is paradise.
Lasantha R. Siriwardene
Kotte