Former North Central Province Governor Maheepala Herath has been accused of misusing his official powers to support the operation of a hotel under his wife’s name by illegally constructing buildings within the Perimiyankulama tank reserve, Lankadeepa newspaper reported.
According to Nuwaragam Palatha Central Divisional Secretary Sudarshana Dissanayake, the unauthorized buildings, built on 60 perches of reserve land, have since been demolished and removed.
Dissanayake had issued a formal notice to the former governor’s wife, On September 18, Ajantha Rupasari Herath, ordering the removal of the illegal constructions within a month, the report said.
In response, the former governor is reported to have secretly deployed a group of workers to dismantle and remove the buildings.
The discovery was made during a recent government initiative to demarcate the boundaries of tank reserves in Anuradhapura District, a programme carried out in collaboration with the Irrigation Department and other state agencies.
During the boundary-marking process at Perimiyankulama, the Survey Department confirmed that the constructions had been built inside the reserve area. It was also revealed that electricity connections to the illegal buildings had been provided by the Ceylon Electricity Board.
“All surveying work and boundary markings for the Perimiyankulama tank reserve have now been completed,” Divisional Secretary Dissanayake said.
He further noted that several other state residences, hotels, and religious establishments were also identified within the tank reserve during the boundary-marking process.
These findings will be submitted to the committee overseeing the initiative, which will later decide on necessary action. (Newswire)