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Fruit stalls at Pahala Kadugannawa removed as landslide threat looms large
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Pic by Chamil Rupasinghe
The fruit stalls and other temporary structures along the main Kandy Colombo road at Pahala Kadugannawa were demolished yesterday with the assistance of the Army.
Although over the years there were warnings to relocate these structures no action was taken in the past.
The road between Hingula and Kandy, in Pahala Kadugannawa will remain closed until further notice, Kegalle District Secretary Mahinda Weerasooriya said.
Earlier, Peradeniya University’s Geologist Professor Atula Senaratne had advised that the entire Colombo-Kandy road stretch from Hinglua should be closed until a specific examination of the soil in the Pahala Kadugannawa area was carried out.
Speaking to the Sunday Times on Friday, Professor Senaratne who had inspected the Pahala Kadugannwa area said there was the possibility of a landslide in the area lined by the fruit stalls, within the next few hours or days. Therefore he believed the only alternative was to close the road to Kandy through this area until it was deemed safe.
National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) Director Samantha Bogahapitiya told the Sunday Times that the road came under the RDA and motorists have been directed to turn off at Mawanella and travel through Galagdera to Kandy and the area has been declared a landslide prone area.
Meanwhile The Railway Department said they are being vigilant about the situation as the railway line in this area is also susceptible to falling rocks and earth slips
The Kandy clock tower was built in 1950 by a well known Kandy businessman Ismail in memory of his young son who died in a landslide that occurred close to the Kadugannawa police station.