Environment groups staged a protest at the Sarakkuwa Beach yesterday demanding the government to accelerate the coastal cleaning process following the disastrous X-Press Pearl inferno. A local entrepreneur who developed a device to collect plastic hurdles, sludges and other waste materials from the burnt ship alleges that the authorities demanded him to stop operating the device. The environment groups therefore urged the government to conduct a proper damage assessment and provide fair compensation to the fishing community. Pix by Kithsiri De Mel