Two professionals yesterday filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court seeking an Interim Order suspending the proposed Kurunegala-Dambulla-Habarana Railway Extension Project.
The petitioners Mangalasiri Amarasinghe, an anesthetic doctor by profession and Kamal Rupasinghe, an Electrical Superintendent by profession filed this petition naming the Conservator General of Forests, the Central Environmental Authority, Transport and Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary, the Wildlife and Forest Conservation Minister and the Attorney General as respondents.
The petitioners maintained that the proposed Kurunegala-Habrana Railway extension project would cause irreparable loss to their livelihoods and an adverse and irreversible impact to the environment with the implementation of this project.
Petitioners state that the proposed Kurunegala - Dambulla Habarana (KDH) railway track is proposed to run to the right and almost parallel to the existing Kurunegala- Dambulla (A6) highway, after branching out from the Northern Railway line from Kurunegala and continuing towards North-East. The KDH Railway is proposed to originate from Kurunegala Station of the Colombo - Maho line, passing Galewela, Dambulla and Habarana and connecting to the current Maho - Trincomale line, with the total railway length of 82.445 km. In addition to that, this railway line passes through Panaliyadda, Omaragolla and Beligamuwa, the residential areas of the petitioners destroying large areas of forest lands.
The petitioners are also seeking an order directing the respondents to forthwith propose suitable alternatives to prevent the environmental impact and effect to the livelihood of the inhabitants including the Petitioners which will be caused by this Project.
This petition had been filed through counsel Ravindranath Dabare.
