Opposition Leader's statement totally wrong, baseless - Dinesh

by P. Krishnaswamy

Minister of Urban Development and Water Supply, Dinesh Gunawardena, has strongly refuted Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's statement to the press yesterday stating that the government has violated its own rule of the 100 metre no-build buffer zone. The Minister told the Daily News that the statement was totally wrong and baseless.

The Minister said: "Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe citing as example the commercial development project launched by our Ministry in the city of Galle at the Multi-purpose Co-operative Society site says it is within the 100 metre buffer zone. In all respect to the Leader of the Opposition, I sent a special team of officials from different agencies to verify this statement and it proves that his statement has no validity and is baseless as this specific construction is beyond 110 metres contrary to his claim that it is within 65 metres.

"It is sad that Mr. Wickremesinghe believes in people who give him information misleading him and the country.

I assure on behalf of the Government that we have not violated the 100 metre no-build buffer zone declared in the coastal belt in the areas where city development is taking place in the city of Galle."