JVP Blast Government For Meethotamulla Disaster

The JVP has  issued a communiqué stating that  the garbage which is used after recycling by many developing  countries in the world has become a source of disaster to Sri Lanka. “Such a disaster, owing to garbage, struck this country because our rulers could not manage this garbage disposal duly.

Truly, this is not a natural disaster. The Government should be held responsible for  this tragedy.

In the past, landslides occurred in the hilly areas of our country. Now even garbage dumps have begun to cause disasters.

Garbage was dumped on a massive scale. Unfortunately that dump ultimately collapsed on the heads of the destitute people who are residing in the vicinity because they cannot afford to live in a better place.

In the past, residents and environmentalists at Meethotamulla staged a huge protest against the garbage dump and even notified the authorities. Yet the officials paid no heed to that. Neither did the officials take action to find alternative places of residence for the residents in the vicinity of the garbage dump. Sadly, it is the poor people who had to pay for the sins of the government. The government and its officials cannot therefore wash their hands of this responsibility.

We are therefore pressuring the government and its officials to arrange reasonable compensation payments to the families of those who lost their lives, homes and were injured. In addition, the issues of those residents in the vicinity of the garbage dump, should be resolved immediately, while also ensuring that there would not be a recurrence of such a tragedy .