Indiscriminate sand excavation in Vadmaraadchi causes seepage of seawater

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 August 2010, 07:46 GMT]
Sri Lanka Department of Geological Survey & Mine Bureau (GSMB) officials who arrived in Jaffna to conduct a survey in Vadamaraadchi East where indiscriminate excavation of sand causes seepage of sea water had to stop their work due to interference by Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda, leader of Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), sources in Vadamaraadchi said. The EPDP firm called ‘Maheswary Funds’, named after assassinated EPDP organizer Maheswaray Vealautham, has procured exclusive rights to excavate sand in Vadamaraadchi and is alleged of making huge profits, the sources added.

Despite protests by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians and environmental activists against the indiscriminate sand excavation in Vadamaraadchi East, Maheswary Funds continues excavation.

The EPDP firm was first permitted to excavate sand for three months in 2009 and the permission was extended for three months in 2010 and again extended for four months on recommendation by Douglas Devananda.

The GSMB officials had come to survey the area to find out whether the excavation of sand could continue.

The EPDP firm, permitted to excavate 10,000 cubic meters monthly in the first instance, now excavates 17,000 cubic meters per month.

Being the sole permit holder to excavate sand in Jaffna peninsula and with many building constructions underway, Maheswary Funds makes a net profit of Rs. 200,000 monthly to EPDP besides extra profits of selling sand in the black market to building contractors.

Douglas Devananda is making millions or rupees in this monopoly of unscrupulous enterprise at the cost of the villages in Vadmaraadchi East being submerged in sea water due to indiscriminate sand excavation, environment activists in Point Pedro said.