Category:Cases - Ongoing, Legal
Case number
SC/FR/224/10
During the war, Wilpattu National Park ceased to function, as the area was a battleground between the Sri Lankan Security Forces and the LTTE.
After the war ended, the Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL) together with 3 other NGOs noted that two roads within the Wilpattu National Park were being open to the public. One of the roads follows the coastline leading up to Kudiramalai Point while the other bisects the park.
The two roads had been used by the armed forces during the war, and present a threat to the surrounding National Park. As the park reverts to its protected status under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO), the Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation is the administering authority and is required to administer the Park in conformity with the provisions of the FFPO as amended.
It was further noted that the Commander of the Navy stated in his affidavit of objections, that the purported opening of the park road for the general public was not done by the Sri Lankan Navy, nor was it a decision of the Navy.
Updates
When the application was called on the 20th of July 2023, Mr. Uditha Egalahewa PC appeared for the Petitioners and informed Court that several three-wheelers and motorbikes have entered into the Park without the permission of the Department of Wildlife Conservation and that the stance of the Petitioner is that the Wilpattu National Park should be under the control of the Department of Wildlife Conservation. However, the application was not argued due to insufficient time and was re-fixed for Arguments for the 31st of January 2024.
