PHU wants Cabinet prosecuted for cutting protected tree

Opposition parties in Sri Lanka are urging legal action against the Cabinet of Ministers for allegedly violating the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance by approving the cutting down of the 'Crudia zeylanica' tree, which is endemic to the country. 

 

 

The Cabinet's decision to remove the tree was explained as a policy decision to continue the construction of the Central Expressway. 

 

 

However, environmentalists, the Gampaha District Forest Officer, and the Buddhist clergy have raised concerns and requested protection for the tree, which is listed as an endangered species in the Red Data Book. 

 

 

The Opposition argues that the Cabinet has committed a collective offence under the law, and the Department of Police should take legal action against them. They stress that nobody, not even the Cabinet, is above the country's laws.