JVP MP Bimal Ratnayake brought to the notice of the Parliament yesterday(5) that the Supreme Court has issued the stay order to stop disposing of garbage at Muturajawela up to 20th July. In response Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday, that stay orders issued on disposal of garbage will worsen the crisis with regard to the collection and disposal of waste.Stay orders will create more problems especially at a time, when diseases such as dengue are spreading. He emphasized that courts should have initiated a discussion with all stakeholders.
He said the Kesbewa Magistrate Court should conclude the pending case with regard to the disposal of garbage at Karadiyana.
The main issue pertaining to garbage is not collection from households but disposing it,” the Prime Minister said and added that it would be possible to dump 1,200 tons of garbage daily at Aruwakaru.
He said garbage from Colombo, Dehiwala and Kolonnawa could be disposed at Karuwakaru for twenty years and that the recycling of garbage at Muthurajawela would be expanded soon.
The Prime Minister several recycling centres would be set up jointly with the private sector and that these projects would comprise power generation using garbage and the production of fertilizer. “These would be investments more or less and suitable lands for these products have been ear-marked for this purpose,” the Prime minister said
He said 250 garbage transportation trucks would be added to the existing fleet belonging to various local bodies and the central government to make waste collection more efficient. The Prime Minister said these would be purchased through state funds and the Korean credit line.
“Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka has been assign the task of handling the garbage issue. I had a discussion with him and there should be some kind of breakthrough by tomorrow,” he concluded.
