The State Plantations Corporation (SPC) yesterday said it had withdrawn some projects attached to the Knuckles mountain range after finding that the lands given to those projects belonged to the Knuckles conservation area.

SPC Chairman Thilak Mahanama told a news conference that no land belonging to the Knuckles Conservation Forest had been given to investors to carry out projects and added that they had withdrawn said projects followed by a ministerial direction.

He also said 95 per cent of land attached to the Knuckles Conservation Forest belonging to the SPC and vowed that they would protect the Knuckles Mountain Range which was a world heritage recognized by the UNESCO.

“We have not committed any fault in this Knuckles Mountain Range’s issue. The issue is in the side of institutes relating to the forest conservation. They have not given us a clear knowledge on the boundary of the Knuckles Conservation Forest. There is buffer zone of 500m attached to the forest. It is also confusing,” he said.

“The SPC has agreed to give land for a certain project in Midlands Estate of Knuckles Mountain Range and later we got to know that said land belonged to the Knuckles conservative area. We have withdrawn the agreement right after it,” he added.

He said another proposal for a dairy farm which was to be carried out in Hare Park Estate was withdrawn after revelations that those lands belonged to Knuckles conservative area.

He also said no land in the Knuckles Conservation Forest had been given to any party to carry out any sort of project proposal accordingly. (Kalathma Jayawardhane)

Marking of boundaries yet to be completed

A Deputy Conservator to the Forest Conservation Department said the marking of boundaries attached to the Knuckles Conservation Forest was yet to be completed and added that however it was largely completed as of now.

He said they had completed measuring the boundary of Knuckles Conservation Forest, 45 km from Kandy and 110 km from Matale; “The buffer zone which was established by the UNESCO does not fall under any legislation in the country,” he added.

However, lawyer and environmental protection activist Jagath Gunawardena also stressed the necessity to establish more strong legal background for the buffer zone attached to the Knuckles Conservation Forest which was declared by the UNESCO.