Minister of Environment Dammika Patabendi has signed a gazette notification introducing special regulations for the sustainable management of Nil Diya Pokuna, located within the Ravana Ella Sanctuary. 

The move is aimed at safeguarding the site for future generations while ensuring responsible tourism practices.

The gazette, issued under Section 2(2) of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, sets out rules for managing services provided to visitors and outlines strict prohibitions to protect the environmentally sensitive area.

Key regulations are as follows;

• Visitor restrictions: Children under ten are not permitted to enter the cave. Those aged 10–18 may enter only with a guardian.
• Student access: Students must carry identification or permission letters and use only designated routes.
• Prohibited activities: Bathing in the pond, dumping waste or substances into the water, making loud noises, playing instruments, lighting fires, smoking, consuming alcohol or drugs, and altering or marking rocks are banned.

The gazette was signed at the Ministry of Environment premises in the presence of Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody, Ministry Secretary K.R. Uduwawala, Additional Secretary Buwaneka Herath, Wildlife Conservation Department Director General Ranjan Marasinghe, and other officials. (Newswire)

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The Government will shortly introduce new regulations for expressways, including a minimum speed, Minister of Transport Bandula Gunawardena said today. 

Addressing the post-Cabinet media briefing, Minister Gunawardena said that the new regulations will be announced via a Gazette notification expected to be issued within the next two weeks. 

He further said that a specialist committee will be appointed and the Gazette will be issued based on their recommendations.

Stating that a discussion was recently held under the Transport Ministry Secretary on road accidents on highways, the minister said various parties, including the Police and road engineers, had participated in the discussion.

“The discussion found that many accidents reported on the Katunayake – Colombo highway are due to excess speeding. It was also pointed out that accidents were caused by vehicles attempting to overtake vehicles that are travelling at a lower speed on the highway,” he said. 

The minister also revealed that failing to wear seat belts and other safety gear while travelling, driving under the influence, and failing to follow road rules were among other reasons identified as causes for accidents on highways in Sri Lanka.

Refuting claims of less lighting on the expressway, Minister Gunawardena said that only reflective lights are used on the highways, similar to that used the world over, for the convenience of the driver. 

The measures come in light of several accidents being reported on expressways, especially the recent accident in which former State Minister Sanath Nishantha was killed. 

The accident in the Kerwalapitiya area on the Colombo- Katunayake expressway was found to have been caused by excessive speeding. 

Soon after the former State Minister’s accident, another accident was also reported on the same expressway in which a foreign tourist was killed. (NewsWire)

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