Southern Expressway has Nothing to do with the flooding – PHU

 

PHU Udaya Gammanpila said, If the Southern Expressway (E01) has caused any impact on the environment as claimed by Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, its responsibility should be placed on the minister himself along with President Maithripala Sirisena and Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, who headed the Ministry of Environment respectively when the highway was built.

He said, it was the responsibility of the Environment Minister to allow the project to continue after approving the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).

“When the project was implemented, the Environment Minister was President Sirisena. Most of the constructions of the highway were carried out from 2007 to 2010 when Minister Ranawaka was the Environment Minister. Minister Yapa was the Environment Minister when the project was completed in 2011,” PHU General Secretary MP Udaya Gammanpila told a news conference.

Therefore, he said the finger which was pointed at them for alleged repercussions of the expressway should be directed at the present government in which all these personnel are a part of.